KANSAS CITY — Mark Canha fell into an odd designation this 2019: a great fill-in. And did he ever fill in.
First he stood in at first base while Matt Olson recovered from hamate surgery. He filled in as a right fielder while Stephen Piscotty recovered from a knee sprain and filled in at DH for Khris Davis while he recovered from his hip injury.
At every turn, manager Bob Melvin lauded Canha for fitting into a temporary role seamlessly. Astonishment at his ability to produce immediately at any position was only magnified by the fact that he was still working around infrequent at bats and playing time.