The Royals signed Fernandez to a minor-league contract Friday. Fernandez signed with Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines last offseason but wound up making just two appearances for them. The right-handed reliever last appeared in the big leagues in 2022 and has posted a 5.17 ERA and 47:35 K:BB over 54 career innings covering parts of four major-league seasons.
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The Royals signed Fernandez to a minor-league contract Friday. Fernandez signed with Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines last offseason but wound up making just two appearances for them. The right-handed reliever last appeared in the big leagues in 2022 and has posted a 5.17 ERA and 47:35 K:BB over 54 career innings covering parts of four major-league seasons.
Clarke signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Thursday. Clarke spent the entire 2024 campaign with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, turning in a 4.92 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over 64 innings. He'll now return to the organization he spent two seasons with from 2022-23, though he doesn't project to act as anything more than organizational depth this time around.
The Royals and Wright (shoulder) avoid arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.8 million contract Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Wright will make the same salary in 2025 as he made in 2024 when he missed the season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder. The right-hander has been throwing off a mound and hopes to be without restrictions during spring training as he competes for a spot in the Royals' rotation.
Wright (shoulder) hopes to be fully healthy for spring training and compete for a spot in the Royals' rotation, Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star reports. Wright underwent surgery in October of 2023 to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder. He's now more than a year removed from that operation and in October touched 90 mph during a bullpen session. That's a far cry from the 95.1 mph Wright averaged with his four-seamer during his breakout 2022 campaign when he won 21 games and posted a 3.19 ERA, but the hope is that his velocity will continue to tick up as he further distances himself from surgery. It's no guarantee his stuff will bounce back as he returns from major shoulder surgery, but Wright will be one to keep a close eye on during spring training.
Garcia (elbow) is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, MLB.com reports. Garcia reported soreness in his right elbow while playing catch recently and an MRI revealed bone chips, which he had surgically removed Thursday. The Royals are calling the procedure "minor" and do not expect the infielder's availability for the beginning of spring training to be impacted. Garcia slashed .231/.281/.332 with seven home runs and 37 stolen bases for Kansas City during the 2024 regular season.
Garcia underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow Thursday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports. Garcia didn't spend any time on the injured list in 2024 and was available throughout the postseason, leaving it unclear when he suffered the injury. The Royals haven't commented as to whether Garcia's recovery will cost him any time during spring training or even regular season contests.
Groshans signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. Most of Groshans' time last season was spent in Double-A, where he slashed .237/.313/.318 across 320 plate appearances between the Yankees' and Athletics' affiliates. He could potentially receive a bump to Triple-A upon joining the Royals, though major-league at-bats are likely out of the question for the 25-year-old.
The Royals intend to move Bubic back into their starting rotation in 2025, per Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. After recovering from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in April 2023, Bubic appeared exclusively out of the bullpen during the final three months of the 2024 campaign. In 27 regular-season appearances, the lefty posted a strong 2.67 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 39:5 K:BB over 30.1 frames. Assuming the 27-year-old is able to turn in similar numbers during spring training, he should have little trouble securing a spot in the Royals' rotation, which lost some depth after the trade that sent Brady Singer to Cincinnati.
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