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Waters was sent outright to Triple-A Omaha in early September by the Royals. He spent the entire season at the Triple-A level, slashing .262/.323/.446 with 14 homers, 54 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 439 plate appearances. He has proven to be quality outfield depth and shouldn’t have any difficulty finding a new home this offseason.

Waters passed through waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. He’ll presumably stick around with Kansas City for the remainder of the season as organizational depth. The 27-year-old didn’t end up making an appearance after being called up earlier this month.

Waters was a notable prospect with Atlanta before being shipped to Kansas City nearly a half decade ago. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to carve out a permanent spot in the majors, hitting just .234 with 14 homers and 21 steals in 684 plate appearances since 2022. He’s young enough that there’s probably an organization out there willing to roll the dice on Waters as a reclamation project.

It really doesn’t say much for the Royals that Waters is their September callup and is getting yet another chance here after hitting just .251/.312/.402 for Omaha this season. The 27-year-old debuted for Kansas City in 2022 and has hit .234/.300/.369 in 684 plate appearances as a major leaguer. He’ll probably get an occasional outfield start against righties.

The 27-year-old outfielder was removed from the team’s 40-man roster on Wednesday, but he passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as extra outfield depth for the Royals. He should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Waters just hasn’t looked like a major leaguer the last couple of years, and he didn’t change any minds while hitting .188/.250/.281 this spring. If he clears waivers, he’ll have to accept an outright assignment,

Waters greeted Aidan Anderson in the first inning, crushing the first pitch that he saw for a 440-foot (108.8 mph) two-run home run that increased the Royals’ lead to 7-4. Waters also walked in the second inning and scored as Jonathan India bounced into a double play. The 27-year-old outfielder is off to a slow start this spring, hitting just .231 (3-for-13), so hopefully this is just what he needs to get him going.