Tommy Pham claimed off waivers by AL contender

Tommy Pham will at least get the opportunity to contribute to a contender entering the final month of MLB’s regular season.

Pham is headed to the Kansas City Royals after the team claimed him off waivers, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. The move comes one day after the St. Louis Cardinals placed the outfielder on waivers roughly a month after trading for him.

The Kansas City Royals have claimed Tommy Pham off waivers, per a source.

The Royals are fully in the AL Central race, trailing first-place Cleveland by 2 1/2 games. They'll pick up Pham as a veteran bat with ample postseason experience.

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) August 31, 2024

While the Cardinals faded quickly in August, the Royals took up the opposite trajectory. A 15-12 August has brought them to within 2.5 games of the first-place Cleveland Guardians, and they are almost certainly in line for a wild card spot barring a complete collapse. Pham, a veteran outfielder, should help with that, especially after the Royals lost one of their key contributors in Vinnie Pasquantino for the rest of the regular season.

Pham started the season with the Chicago White Sox before moving to the Cardinals, so he will be familiar with the AL Central. He is hitting .254 with seven home runs on the year.