Royals trade speedster Nick Heath to Arizona Diamondbacks for minor-league arm
Less than a week after the Kansas City Royals designated outfielder and speedster Nick Heath for assignment, the club traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for a minor-league catcher who now pitches.
Prior to Saturday’s doubleheader, the Royals announced they’d swapped Heath in exchange for 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Eduardo Herrera.
Herrera, who has not played above High-A in the minors, signed with the Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2016 as a catcher/infielder.
He appeared in his first game as a pitcher in 2019 after 67 games as a position player. He has pitched in just 22 games in the minors and compiled a 4.56 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP, 6.46 walks per nine innings and 14.45 strikeouts per nine innings.
Heath, 27, went to high school in Junction City, Kansas and joined the organization as a 16th-round draft pick out of Northwestern State in 2016.
The Royals added Heath to their 40-man roster following the 2019 season when he led the minors with 60 stolen bases and advanced to Triple-A for the first time in his career.
Last season, Heath made his MLB debut and appeared in 15 games, including several appearances as a pinch runner in late innings. He stole two bases, scored two runs and collected two hits and two walks in 18 plate appearances (13 at-bats).
The Royals bolstered their outfield this offseason with the additions of center fielder Michael A. Taylor through free agency and left fielder Andrew Benintendi through a trade.
They also signed veteran outfielder and speedster Jarrod Dyson during spring training, and they promoted outfielder Kyle Isbel to the Opening Day major-league roster.
Benintendi, Dyson and Isbel are all left-handed hitting outfielders, as is Heath.
Heath began this season assigned to the club’s alternate training site. He was designated for assignment on Wednesday.
This story was originally published April 17, 2021 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Royals trade speedster Nick Heath to Arizona Diamondbacks for minor-league arm."
