30 July 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSNT)- One Royals infielder is on the move.
The team announced the trade of Nicky Lopez on Sunday. Lopez is being traded to the Atlanta Braves. In exchange, KC is getting left-handed pitcher Taylor Hearn. Hearn has been optioned to Triple-A in Omaha.
Lopez has spent his entire pro baseball career with the Royals, after they drafted him in the fifth-round in 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2019. In 2022, Lopez was the Royals Roberto Clemente Award nominee for his involvement in the Kansas City community.
Lopez joins the Braves with a .213 batting average on the 2023 season, with more than 20 starts at both third base and second base.
Hearn has a 3.66 ERA this year in Triple-A with the Braves organization, throwing 39.1 innings. He was just traded to the Braves on July 24. Hearn made five big league pitching appearances this season.