The Kansas City T-Bones have announced the signings of Danny Richar and Stephen Rodgers for the 2014 season.
Richar is a 6-foot-1 and 205-pound infielder from La Romana, Dominican Republic. Originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, Richar played in 56 games for the Chicago White Sox in 2007. He batted .230 with 43 hits, including nine doubles and six home runs. The White Sox traded Richar to Cincinnati in 2008 as part of the deal that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to Chicago. Richar appeared in 23 Major League games for Cincinnati during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He spent the 2010 season at the triple-A level with Miami before playing in the Atlantic League in 2011. Richar missed the 2012 and ’13 seasons because of a knee injury. In 10 professional seasons, Richar is a .282 hitter with 1,164 hits, including 221 doubles and 88 home runs, with 484 RBIs and 95 stolen bases.
“Richar should provide a solid bat in middle of lineup and solid glove defensively,” said T-Bones manager John Massarelli. “He is 100 percent healthy and wanted to play here because he feels it gives him a chance to make it back to the big leagues.”
Rodgers is a 6-foot and 175-pound infielder from Sandy, Utah. After playing collegiately at Sterling College (Kan.), Rodgers spent his first professional season, 2013, with White Sands of the independent Pecos League. He batted .276 with 27 hits and nine RBIs in 38 games. As a senior at Sterling, Rodgers was a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference gold glove winner with a .988 fielding percentage after committing three errors during the season.
“I haven’t seen (Rodgers) play, but I’ve received a lot of great reports on him,” Massarelli said.
The T-Bones open the 2014 regular season at home on May 15 against Lincoln.
