The Kansas City Royals have signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one‑year contract, the club announced today. With the move, Kansas City’s Major League Reserve List now stands at 40 players.
Thomas, 30, brings seven years of big‑league experience across three organizations: St. Louis (2019–21), Washington (2021–24), and Cleveland (2024–25). Over 600 career games, he has produced a .242/.309/.418 slash line (489-for-2023) with 194 extra‑base hits and 254 RBI. Defensively, he has made 276 career starts in right field, 170 in center, and 50 in left.
A standout performer against left‑handed pitching, Thomas owns a career .292 average (179-for-612) with a .500 slugging percentage and .859 OPS versus southpaws.
Injuries limited Thomas to 39 games in 2025, including three stints on the Injured List due to a right wrist bone bruise and right foot plantar fasciitis. With Cleveland, he made 32 starts in center field and one in right.
Thomas was a key contributor during the Guardians’ 2024 postseason run, starting all 10 playoff games in center field. He delivered one of the defining moments of Cleveland’s ALDS victory over Detroit, driving in five runs in the decisive Game 5 — including a tie‑breaking grand slam off two‑time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
In 2023, Thomas was a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist as a National League outfielder after posting a .985 fielding percentage across 151 games and 1,292.2 innings in right field. That same season, he logged the sixth 20/20 campaign in Nationals history, finishing with 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Since the start of 2023, Thomas ranks tied for third in MLB with 28 outfield assists, trailing only Steven Kwan (32) and Nolan Jones (31).
Originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Thomas hails from Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.
