Pitcher Luke Weaver and his “Bible Glove” are on their way to Kansas City. The Royals acquired the seven-year veteran from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night in exchange for third baseman Emmanuel Rivera.
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Welcome to the Royals, Luke! https://t.co/zuhoXF1l8z pic.twitter.com/aOxPQdVkiY
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 1, 2022
After spending most of his career as a starter, Weaver’s been used primarily as a reliever since returning from the injured list in mid-June. The switch paid off in a big way. Weaver allowed just one run and four hits in eight innings of work out of the bullpen in the month of July.
Unfortunately, though, it seems every time the 28-year-old gets settled somewhere, he finds himself on the move again. Weaver was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 and made 52 appearances in three seasons with the team (2016-2018). Arizona acquired him as part of the Paul Goldschmidt trade prior to the 2019 season.
Weaver talked about the challenges of being traded on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in March, saying he saw the move to the Diamondbacks as a way for God to push him outside his comfort zone. Though switching teams is always tough, it gave him an opportunity to build new relationships and take on more of a leadership role.
“Right when we’re comfortable, it’s time to start being uncomfortable again, right?” Weaver said on the podcast. “It’s time to see our next chapter, our next journey.”
His next journey takes him to Kansas City, where he’ll reunite with manager Mike Matheney, who was the Cardinals’ skipper from 2012-2018. It also gives him the chance to display his “Bible Glove” to a new fan base.
Weaver debuted the glove — created in partnership with Aria — at the end of last season.
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It is designed to have the same artistic feel as a Bible with a cross above the right finger hole and a crown of thorns in the palm. Three Bible verses are featured on the fingers:
– Matthew 19:26: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
– Philippians 4:13: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
– 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
“It’s just a way where I want to be able to show the world that in the midst of that battle and the competition and the personality and expression, this is what I choose to do,” Weaver said on the podcast. “In doing this, I hope more kids can wear a glove like I’m wearing and to wear it in their travel ball and their Little Leagues and their high schools and their colleges, to one day just be like, ‘Hey, I’m using a glove that helps me play this game, but I’m also expressing who I am and I love every second of it.’ If someone wants to ask about it, guess what: Now we get to talk about it.”
As he begins his new chapter with the Royals, Weaver is once again reminded that nothing is guaranteed in professional sports.
“I don’t care who you are, if you’re not putting up results, the weight of the world feels like it’s crushing you,” he said on the podcast. “You know how easily it could be taken away. It’s a ‘next man up’ kind of thing. They’ll always find somebody better, or not even better, just someone to fill [your spot] until someone produces that role. It’s ever-changing. You’re just an interchangeable piece.”
But Weaver knows his true value comes from the Lord, and he aims to share his faith wherever he goes.
“I want to make sure I’m using my time and energy, both verbally and nonverbally, to impact people for eternal purposes,” he wrote for The Increase. “I want to use my career in baseball to impact a generation with the Gospel message.”
Weaver is unlikely to appear, but the Royals are in Chicago to play the White Sox in the middle game of a three-game series Tuesday at 8:10 p.m. ET.
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