Paul DeJong is on the move.
The Chicago White Sox have reportedly traded their 30-year-old shortstop to the Kansas City Royals ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported.
Fortunately for DeJong, the Royals are in town playing a series against the White Sox, so he will just walk over to the opposing team’s dugout once the deal is finalized.
The Orlando, Florida, native is in the middle of a bounce-back year through the first half of the 2024 season. DeJong has 18 home runs and 41 RBI through 102 games — which is on pace to close near his career high of 30 in 2019, which earned him his sole All-Star appearance.
His averages are also up from previous years, as he’s batting .228, one point shy of his career average, along with a .705 OPS.
Last year, DeJong was traded from his long-standing home with the St. Louis Cardinals when he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays. There, he appeared in 13 games, hitting a career-low .068 average before getting shipped off to San Francisco. He saw little improvement with the Giants; through 18 games, his average bumped up to .184.
DeJong’s first seven seasons in the league were spent with the Cardinals. He hit .233 and combined for 115 home runs and 338 RBI through 698 games with St. Louis. In 2017, he finished in second place for NL Rookie of the year, just behind Los Angeles Dodger, Cody Bellinger.
