Eric Hosmer will honor Yordano Ventura with new jersey number in San Diego

First baseman Eric Hosmer may not be a Royal by name, but he will carry a piece of his time with the organization on his back.

Hosmer’s jersey with the Padres will sport the number 30 in honor of late teammate Yordano Ventura, according to MLB.com reporter AJ Cassavell.

The number 35 jersey that Hosmer wore in Kansas City was unavailable in San Diego. The Padres, who officially annouced Hosmer’s agreement to join the National League team Monday evening, previously retired the number in honor of pitcher Randy Jones, who became the first player to win a Cy Young Award in a Padres uniform in 1976.

When Ventura died last year in an offseason car crash in the Dominican Republic, Hosmer referred to Ventura as his brother in an Instagram post. The two players joined the Royals’ organization as teenagers in 2008.

Hosmer will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday at the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. He arrived at the team’s facility Monday afternoon, two days after news broke that he would join the organization on an eight-year, $144 million contract.

The Royals tweeted Monday evening thanking Hosmer for his seven years in Kansas City.

This story was originally published February 19, 2018 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Eric Hosmer will honor Yordano Ventura with new jersey number in San Diego."