Royals sign Red Sox free agent to contract a day before his birthday

The Kansas City Royals have given an early birthday present to their newest player in the form of a free agent contract.

Abraham Toro will turn 29 on Saturday. On Friday, he signed a minor-league contract with Kansas City, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes.

Toro most recently played for the Red Sox in 2025, and he has spent parts of the last seven seasons in the major leagues.

He's more of a contact hitter than anything else, with just a .223 batting average and .356 slugging percentage in his career while recording a strikeout rate a decent amount better than league average.

In his minor league career since 2021, Toro has batted .286 with a .474 slugging percentage.

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One of the keys to Toro is that he can play all over the diamond.

He has spent MLB time at first base, second base, third base, right field and left field.

Toro likely won't be looking at anything approaching a starting job, but his versatility and contact bat can make him a quality bench piece.

The Royals have a couple other players similar to Toro, so as the new guy, he'll have to show up and make a good impression in spring training.

But at least when Toro celebrates his birthday, he'll know who he's playing for to start the 2025 season. That's not a bad present.

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