Burns' chances of breaking camp with the team were always going to be slim at best, so he's been sent down even with Aaron Hicks (back) expected to open the season on the injured list. It will take a handful of injuries for him to get another big-league shot.

Burns' wheels made him an interesting player in the past, as he stole 43 bases in 222 games in 2015 and 2016, but his bat was simply too light for him to stick in the majors. He owns a career .270/.308/.353 line in parts of four seasons and has only received six plate appearances since 2016. He's unlikely to play a significant role in New York this season.

Burns had been in a battle for the center-field job against the likes of Paulo Orlando but was a roster casualty when the club acquired Lucas Duda to replace free-agent loss Eric Hosmer. After clearing waivers, Burns will return to the outfield competition during big league camp. Even in a best-case fantasy scenario for Burns, he'd be a cheap source of speed while representing a liability in most other categories. Of course, Burns would have to make the team first for that analysis to come into play.

Burns was removed from the club's 40-man roster following the acquisition of first baseman Lucas Duda. It was expected that Burns would be competing for the starting spot in center field for the Royals in 2018, but he will now head to waivers to see where he will end up. Burns slashed .235/.271/.296 in 97 big-league games in 2016 before appearing in just seven contests for Kansas City last season.