Mason Black: Everything you need to know

The Royals optioned Black to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday. Black joined the Royals in a trade with San Francisco in November. He entered camp slated for a relief role and put up good numbers during Grapefruit League play, pitching eight scoreless innings with an 8:3 K:BB over six appearances. Though he'll begin the campaign in the minors, it seems likely that Black will be up with the big club at some point during the season.

Black allowed no hits and two walks over a scoreless inning in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Rangers. He did not record a strikeout. In a high-scoring affair, Black managed to work a scoreless eighth inning, albeit while issuing a pair of walks. The right-hander has worked primarily as a starter throughout his professional career, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, "We view him more as a reliever. Just as a reliever? Not necessarily. If you need a spot start, maybe that would be the case," per MLB.com. After being traded from the Giants in November, a retooling of his repertoire with the assistance of Kansas City's coaching staff has proven effective thus far in Cactus League play, as Black has tossed five scoreless innings across four appearances. The 26-year-old may be ticketed to open the season with Triple-A Omaha, but the club appears to believe he can contribute at the big-league level in 2026.

The Royals acquired Black from the Giants on Tuesday in exchange for Logan Martin. Black had been designated for assignment by the Giants last week and will now join the Royals' 40-man roster. The 25-year-old spent most of this season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he held a 5.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP alongside a 114:62 K:BB over 119.1 innings. Black has been used mostly as a starting pitcher to this point in his pro career, though it's not known whether the Royals intend to keep him in that role. The righty has minor-league options remaining.