The Royals announced they have signed first baseman Lucas Duda to a minor league deal. Duda had been in camp with the Minnesota Twins but opted out of his contract when he was told he would not be on the Opening Day roster. In 13 spring training games, Duda hit .258/.395/.355 with three doubles and seven walks. The 33-year old was signed by the Royals to a one-year deal last year and hit .242/.310/.413 with 13 home runs in 87 games before he was sold to the Atlanta Braves.
The signing is a curious one since the Royals are in a rebuild and should be looking for young players to add to the roster.