Royals signed right-handed Jonathan Heasley Sign a minor league contract. The 28-year-old has not competed since his release by Whitesokes in late March.
Heasley returns to his original organization. KC chose him in the 13th round of the 2018 draft. Oklahoma’s product debuted three years later and pitched with the Royals between 2021-23. He combined 5.45 ERA in 36 games. Heasley started 21 games in 2022 and moved most of them to the bullpen a year later. In the 2023-24 offseason, Kansas City traded him to Baltimore.
Along with the Orioles, Heasley showed up four MLBs and shot 10 times in Triple-A. He was released in July after suffering a shoulder injury at the end of the season among minors. During spring training, Heasley was able to return to the mound in three games with White Sox. Chicago initially assigned him to their Arizona complex, but released him a few days later in the regular season.
Heasley has 5.89 ERAs in 139 major league innings. He also struggled on the triple A-class (ERA 5.47 ERA of 164 2/3 frames), but a familiar face for the royal family, and once he was ready to report to Triple-A Omaha, he could provide long-term relief depth.
