Royals GM is painfully aware KC gave up on both AL All-Star designated hitters
It’s little secret the Royals are looking for a boost from their offense, and boy, wouldn’t it be nice to have one of the designated hitters who will represent the American League in the All-Star Game?
Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn will start in next week’s Midsummer Classic, while the A’s Brent Rooker will be coming off the bench as a reserve. Both names may sound familiar to KC sports fans.
Roughly a year after becoming the Royals general manager, J.J. Picollo parted ways with both players in a seven-week span following the 2022 season.
Rooker was designated for assignment on Nov. 15, 2022, and 49 days later, O’Hearn was traded to the Orioles for cash considerations.
Picollo on Monday recalled parting ways with both players while talking about the risk involved in making deals at the trade deadline.
“You’re going to do what you think you should do at the moment to try to make your team better. Some are going to work out. Some aren’t,” Picollo said. “That’s just the nature of the game. I’m very happy for a guy like Ryan O’Hearn to be playing in an All-Star Game. Really proud of our organization being part of his development. And you’ve got to go back and look at your processes, and why did we make the decision we made, which falls on my shoulders. Same thing with Brent Rooker.”
O’Hearn was selected by the Royals in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft and played five seasons in Kansas City. After batting just .219 with a .683 OPS with the Royals, O’Hearn has thrived in Baltimore. He’s batted .278 with a .794 OPS during his time with the Orioles.
This season, O’Hearn is batting .287 with 12 doubles, 11 home runs and 30 RBIs, while playing in left and right field and first base, in addition to being a designated hitter.
Rooker had been acquired in a trade with the Padres in August 2022 but he played just 14 games with the Royals and hit .160 without a home run. The A’s claimed Rooker two days after he was waived by the Royals, and he’s hit 87 home runs with 229 RBIs in 374 games in Oakland and Sacramento.
And Rooker has played in left field and right field in addition to being a designated hitter with the A’s.
CBS Sports’ Danny Vietti noted how both players are All-Stars after the Royals gave up on them.
Not that Picollo needed reminding.
“You’ve got two All-Stars, and we’re looking for offense,” he said. “And you’ve got two guys that are in All-Star Games that, you know, we turned the page on. I have to look at my own thoughts and how I objectively make decisions, but it doesn’t change that we’re happy for those kids.
“But you’re going to make good calls and you’re going to make bad calls. And ... we’d like to have both of those players, but we don’t.”
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 10:15 AM.
