Lawrence’s Kevin Hooper has been picked up by the Kansas City Royals and assigned to the club’s Triple-A farm team.

Hooper, a shortstop-second baseman, joined the Omaha Royals on Wednesday night in Edmonton.

Hooper, 27, will be playing for his third major-league organization this season. He started with the Florida Marlins’ Triple-A farm in Albuquerque, then was acquired May 26 by the New York Yankees for their Triple-A farm club at Columbus, Ohio.

Hooper, a 1995 Lawrence High graduate, played in 29 games for Columbus, but hit .195 and was benched in July.

Hooper was en route Wednesday to Edmonton and unavailable for comment, but his mother, Claudia Jones of Lawrence, said her son was “obviously thrilled” to be acquired by the Royals.

Hooper was released by the Yankees at his own request.

“He wasn’t playing and he wasn’t used to sitting on the bench,” Jones said. “He said he wanted to be with a team that needed him.”

The Royals, with the worst record in the American League, have had a revolving door at second base this season. Currently, their Triple-A second baseman is Jed Hansen, a 32-year-old journeyman.

Hooper, a former standout at Wichita State, was the eighth-round draft choice of the Marlins in 1999. This is his sixth season in the minor leagues.