After attending high school in the Dominican Republic, Febles was signed by the Kansas City Royals in 1993 as an amateur free agent.

[4][5] Through mid-June, Febles was batting .286;[5] his hitting then cooled off, and he finished the season with a .256 average,[3] as Beltrán went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year award.

[3] He was designated for assignment by the Royals in August 2003,[7] and ended his playing career in 2004 with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, where he batted .257 in 68 games.

[3] In 506 MLB games played, all with Kansas City, Febles batted .250 while collecting 414 hits, including 65 doubles, 18 triples and 24 home runs.

[8] After one season, Febles was promoted to manage the Greenville Drive, the Red Sox' affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League[9] and then rehired for 2013.

[11] Febles led the Red Sox to a 68–68 record and a berth in the Carolina League playoffs, where they were defeated by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, two games to one, in the opening round.