KANSAS CITY -- Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy said he will remember manager Ned Yost as a skipper who stood up for his players.

“I don’t think I ever saw a case where he threw a player under the bus,” Kennedy told MLB.com by phone. “As a player, we knew he had our back.”

Kennedy said Yost told the team prior to Sunday’s game in Minneapolis about his intentions to retire.

“It was an emotional meeting,” Kennedy said. “He got choked up a bit.”

Kennedy, who signed with the Royals in 2016, said Yost always treated him well and with respect.

“With Ned, you always knew how you stood,” Kennedy said. “He was very upfront. But he was always encouraging."

Left-hander Danny Duffy agreed.

“He is the only manager I’ve known,” Duffy told MLB.com. “He always cared about the player first. He wanted to win, but he really cared about the player.”

Kennedy said that Yost brought out the most in his players.

“I think the most important thing for him was that you always gave your most on the field,” Kennedy said. “We had some meetings last year about that, but I don’t remember any meetings that we had like that this season.”

Kennedy said that Yost especially had a keen sense about pitchers.

“I’ve had a few managers, but what struck me about Ned was that he didn’t go just by the numbers,” Kennedy said. “He would look you in the eye either on the mound or between innings and just ask if you were ready to go on, and more times than not, he would be right. I know he did that a lot with Danny [Duffy] and it paid off. I think that was one of Ned’s best skills as a manager. He really knew the player.”