NEW YORK -- When the Royals return home on Friday, they will face Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin, who was with Kansas City before being selected off waivers by Los Angeles in late March. During his 2018 season in Kansas City, Goodwin produced a slash line of .266/.317/.415.

Goodwin is off to a good start with the Angels, hitting .340 with two homers and eight RBIs entering Sunday’s action. Royals general manager Dayton Moore said the team liked Goodwin, but he wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time with the club. The Royals also didn’t want to hurt Jorge Soler’s development.

“We don’t need Soler to be just a DH. I don’t think that helps him in his development offensively, so he has to play some outfield as well,” Moore said. “[To lengthen our lineup a little bit], everybody felt that we wanted to get a power-type bat [like Soler] to help along with the development of Ryan O'Hearn and Hunter Dozier. … We like Goody a lot. We traded for him last summer, and I’m glad he is doing well.”

Royals tidbit

The Royals optioned right-hander Glenn Sparkman to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. He pitched in Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the Yankees, allowing three runs in three innings. Royals manager Ned Yost said a corresponding move will not come until Monday.

UMPS CARE Charities online auction underway

Major League Baseball umpires will offer up more than 400 items that include priceless autographed sports memorabilia, one-of-a-kind VIP experiences and VIP ticket packages during its 11th Annual UMPS CARE Charities online auction. The auction is currently underway at www.mlb.com/UmpsCare and closes at 10 p.m. ET on April 29.

Some of the items up for bid include signed baseballs, jerseys and bats; opportunities to watch batting practice from the field at many Major League ballparks; hotel stays with game tickets; opportunities to have lunch with a MLB umpire; more than 50 suites or ticket blocks from Minor League clubs for fans to watch the future stars of MLB and UMPS CARE Charities logo apparel to show your support.

There are signed jerseys, bats, baseballs and other items from current stars and past greats of the game, including Lorenzo Cain (cleat) and Ben Zobrist (bat), who are former Royals.