Royals dump Betancourt after he complains about playing time
The Kansas City Royals' decision to designate infielder Yuniesky Betancourt for assignment was about more than just his .228 batting average and .256 on-base percentage.
Betancourt complained to manager Ned Yost about his lack of playing time. That apparently did not go over well.
"Yuni did a great job for us, but he was a guy that wanted more playing time," Yost said. "He would get upset when he didn't, but (Chris) Getz was playing good. There were just situations. We're trying to win the ballgame, and we're going to put the best team on the field every day."
Yost said the Royals have been "living in a losing culture for many, many years.
"In order for us to get over the hump, we have to have 25 guys that are solely invested in one goal, and that's turning this organization around to become a champion. That's it. It's not about, 'How much do I play?' It's not about, 'Do I have a job?'
"This is about 25 guys with one goal: that we're going out to try to win this baseball game tonight, and you have that goal night in, night out. Anybody else that's not on page with that, we will never change our culture. It's about 25 guys who respect each other, 25 guys that have the same common goal. That's how we're going to turn this losing culture into a winning culture."
The Royals' losing ways resumed Monday with a 4-2 defeat against the Chicago White Sox.
