The Royals released Dozier on Saturday.
Dozier refused his assignment to Triple-A Omaha and was officially let go Saturday. He's now free to sign with another team, though he will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal given his .183/.253/.305 slash line and 31.9 percent strikeout rate over 91 plate appearances this season. The Royals will still be on the hook for the $16.25 million Dozier is owed through 2024 on the four-year, $25 million contract extension he signed in March 2021.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Moved off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Royals designated Dozier for assignment Monday.
Dozier is making $7.5 million in 2023 and is owed more than $10 million beyond this season, but the Royals have opted to turn the page on a player who no longer was in their future plans. The 31-year-old has just a .558 OPS this season and a .679 OPS since the start of the 2020 campaign. He will likely be released after clearing waivers.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Hits late home run in loss
Rotowire
Dozier went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.
Dozier's big hit of the day came in the ninth inning when he took Eric Lauer deep to left center. Sunday was his second homer of the year and his first since April 10. He does have five hits over his last four games but is slashing just .197/.271/.329 with nine RBI, eight runs and an 8:27 BB:K over 85 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Gets aboard four times
Rotowire
Dozier went 2-for-2 with a triple, a double, two walks and two RBI in Friday's 12-8 loss to the Athletics.
Dozier's strong game Friday doubled his total of extra-base hits for the season -- he now has four through 23 contests. He snapped an 0-for-10 skid at the plate. The veteran utility man is slashing .185/.254/.292 with a home run, seven RBI, six runs scored and a pair of stolen bases over 71 plate appearances.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Picks up steal Saturday
Rotowire
Dozier notched a stolen base as a pinch runner in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Twins.
Dozier isn't exactly a premium source of speed, but he was able to get himself into scoring position after replacing Salvador Perez in the eighth inning. It was Dozier's second steal of the season. The utility man is slashing .172/.226/.241 with a home run, five RBI and six runs scored over 62 plate appearances.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Back to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Dozier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Dozier started in right field in the first two games of the series in Arizona, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday while Jackie Bradley gets a turn in the outfield. MJ Melendez -- who is serving as the Royals' designated hitter Wednesday -- should eventually settle back into a role in the corner outfield, but Dozier may still have a path to seeing playing time at third base if his performance warrants it.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Dozier is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Dozier gets a rest after going 3-for-5 and driving in three runs against the Angels on Saturday. Matt Duffy will man the hot corner and hit seventh with Dozier out of the lineup.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Drives in three runs in win
Rotowire
Dozier went 3-for-5 with a run and three RBI in Saturday's 11-8 win against the Angels.
It's been a tough season for Dozier thus far, as he entered Saturday batting .146 with a 1:16 BB:K and just two RBI over 42 plate appearances. The veteran enjoyed a much-needed positive performance against the Angels, more than doubling his season RBI total by plating three runs, including the final pair for the Royals in their ninth-inning comeback. Despite this big game, Dozier is an unappealing option in fantasy given his poor overall production to this point in the campaign.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Dozier is not in the Royals' lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.
Dozier has found himself on the bench more and more often lately, with this being the fourth time he's sitting over the team's last six games versus righties. Nicky Lopez is at third base Friday.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Sitting out Tuesday
Rotowire
Dozier is absent from the Royals' lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Rangers.
Dozier has now started just three of the last six games as he appears to be losing his grip on the starting job at third base. The veteran is sporting an ugly .406 OPS and 15:1 K:BB over his first 40 plate appearances. Nicky Lopez is at the hot corner Tuesday.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Notches steal
Rotowire
Dozier went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 9-3 loss to Atlanta.
Dozier isn't near the top of the list of speed threats on the Royals' roster, but he was able to snag his first steal of the season Saturday. The 31-year-old also earned his first multi-hit effort of the season. He's hitting a paltry .167 with a 35.1 percent strikeout rate and just one extra-base hit through 11 contests. Dozier began the year as the preferred option at third base, but Nicky Lopez started there for the last three games and Matt Duffy will get a look at the hot corner Sunday with Dozier on the bench for the third time in four games.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Out again Friday
Rotowire
Dozier isn't starting Friday against Atlanta.
A slow start at the plate has begun costing Dozier some starts, as he has now missed three of the Royals' last five games. Nicky Lopez will take over at the hot corner Friday and bat ninth.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Sitting out Wednesday
Rotowire
Dozier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
Dozier, who is sitting on a .370 OPS this season, appears to be receiving a day off. Nicky Lopez will start at third base Wednesday in Dozier's stead.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Clubs solo shot
Rotowire
Dozier went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 11-2 loss to the Rangers.
Dozier's homer was one of four hits for the Royals, and the only one to go for extra bases. The utility man has primarily split time between third base and first base early in 2023. While he's hitting a paltry .138 with two RBI, two runs scored and a 1:9 BB:K, only four Royals are hitting above .200, so Dozier's playing time is not yet at risk. He'll need to show more consistency with the bat to be useful in fantasy, though he's also failed to hit above .236 over the last three years, so history isn't on his side.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Not in lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Dozier is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays.
The left-handed-hitting Nicky Lopez will cover third base and bat eighth versus the Jays and right-handed starter Alek Manoah. Dozier has gone just 1-for-13 with zero walks and three strikeouts through four games played this season.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Dozier is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Dozier started at third base in the first two games of the season but will head to the bench Sunday after he went 0-for-7 with two strikeouts. Matt Duffy will take over at the hot corner and bat ninth in the series finale.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Good to go
Rotowire
Dozier (face) will bat cleanup and play first base in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers.
Dozier was scratched Thursday after getting hit in the lip by a ball during batting practice, but the injury wasn't a significant one. He's expected to begin the season as Kansas City's primary third baseman.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Scratched from lineup
Rotowire
Dozier was scratched from the Royals' Cactus League lineup against the Padres on Thursday after taking a ball off the lip during batting practice, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Dozier will be fine, but the Royals wanted to give him a little time for the swelling to go down. Vinnie Pasquantino will move to first base and Jakson Reetz has entered the lineup at designated hitter for Friday's contest.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Back in action Friday
Rotowire
Dozier (illness) will start at third base and bat third in Friday's Cactus League game versus the Athletics.
Dozier was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with an illness, but it was never expected to be a long-term issue. The 31-year-old is expected to be the Royals' primary starter at the hot corner this season. Entering Friday, he's gone 3-for-6 with a home run, a stolen base and two total runs scored across two Cactus League games.
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Royals' Hunter Dozier: Falls ill Wednesday
Rotowire
Dozier was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup against the Rockies due to an apparent illness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
With Dozier feeling under the weather, the Royals will turn to Nick Loftin to fill in as their starting third baseman. The 31-year-old infielder likely won't miss than a day or two of game action, provided his illness isn't anything too severe.
