KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Royals traded infielder Kelvin Gutierrez to the Baltimore Orioles for cash on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Gutierrez appeared in 38 games for the Royals this season, hitting .215 with four doubles, two triples, a homer and eight RBI. He ultimately was caught in a numbers game as the Royals went with a different combination of infielders and Gutierrez was designated for assignment on June 28.
Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco is day-to-day with a right ankle injury after rolling it Wednesday in Houston. Franco has been doing rehab work and manager Brandon Hyde said recently he could be ready off the bench.
Gutierrez was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Nationals in 2013, then traded to Kansas City in 2018 in a four-player deal that sent closer Kelvin Herrera to Washington. He made his big league debut the following year, appearing in 20 games, but was limited to four games last season due to injuries.