Tommy Pham's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Free agent outfielder Tommy Pham has been claimed by the Kansas City Royals, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Pham was DFA'd by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, only a month after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Pham posted a mere .208/.286/.368 slash line with two home runs across his 23-game stint in St. Louis. However, earlier this summer with the White Sox, the veteran held a solid .266/.330/.380 line. Fantasy managers should expect the 36-year-old to see most of his starts in right field and will likely compete with switch-hitter Robbie Grossman for playing time. Managers in deeper leagues should consider adding Pham as he could earn a stable spot in the starting nine and should produce solid counting stats batting in the heart of a competing Royals lineup.

The St. Louis Cardinals designated outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment on Friday and recalled outfielder Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. It was announced on Thursday that the Cardinals were looking to put the veteran Pham on waivers for some financial relief while also giving some younger players more playing time in the outfield for the final month of the season. The 36-year-old is now off the team's 40-man roster, but he could be claimed by a team in postseason contention looking for a veteran presence on their roster. At best, though, he'll probably be just a platoon player against left-handed pitching, like he was with St. Louis. Since being acquired at the deadline from the Chicago White Sox, Pham disappointed with the Cardinals, going 14-for-68 (.206) with two homers, 12 RBI and 16 strikeouts in 23 games played.

The St. Louis Cardinals are placing veteran outfielder Tommy Pham on waivers on Thursday, according to team sources. The move comes just ahead of the league's postseason eligibility deadline of Sept. 1. Pham is eligible to play for the Cards until he is claimed by another team. If he's not claimed, he'll remain with St. Louis. If a team doesn't claim him ahead of Sunday's deadline, he will not be eligible to play in the playoffs with a new team. Entering play Thursday, the Cardinals had less than a one percent chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. The Cardinals could gain some financial relief with the move, and it also suggests they could move to some younger talent in the final month in September. Since joining St. Louis, Pham has been operating in a platoon role and has hit just .206 (14-for-68) with two homers, 12 RBI and 16 K's in 23 games.