Royals invite 23 non-roster players to spring training
35 days until pitchers and catchers report!
The Royals announced that in addition to players on their 40-man roster, they have invited 23 non-roster players to spring training. Pitchers and catchers will report on February 14 with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 19.
Pitchers
Dan Altavilla is a 31-year-old right-hander who has spent parts of six years in the big leagues. He has a career 4.03 ERA in 116 career innings with the Mariners and Padres, but has not pitched in the big leagues in the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery.
Mason Barnett was a third-round pick by the Royals in 2022 out of Auburn. He quickly rose to Double-A last year, posting a 3.58 ERA in seven starts there after a 3.18 ERA in 16 starts at Quad Cities. Overall the 23-year-old right-hander struck out 137 hitters in 114 2⁄3 innings and was named Royals Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Luis Cessa is a 31-year-old right-hander that has spent eight years in the big leagues with the Yankees and Reds as both a starter and reliever with a career ERA of 4.43 in 425 innings. He pitched in just 26 innings last year with a 9.00 ERA, but had a 2.51 ERA in 2021.
Christian Chamberlain is a 24-year-old left-hander who was a fourth-round pick by the Royals out of Oregon State in 2020. In 46 relief appearances last year, he had a 4.82 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 56 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, although he struggled at Omaha.
Austin Cox is a 26-year-old left-hander who impressed with a 4.54 ERA in 35 2⁄3 innings for the Royals last year, but will miss most of this year with a knee injury. The Royals non-tendered him to get him off the 40-man roster, but re-signed him to a minor league deal.
Tyler Duffey is a 33-year-old right-hander who relies heavily on a slider to get groundballs. The nine-year MLB vet has a 4.57 ERA in 477 career big-league innings with 8.8 strikeouts with the Twins and Cubs.
Sam Long pitched in a career-high 40 gams last year with the A’s with a 5.60 ERA. The 28-year-old left-hander had a 3.61 ERA the previous season with the Giants, but has struck out just 7.2 per-nine-innings in 128 innings.
Walter Pennington was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado School of Mines, but advanced to Triple-A last year where the 25-year-old left-hander posted a 3.69 ERA in 41 outings with 64 strikeouts in 61 innings.
Beck Way was acquired from the Yankees in 2022 in the Andrew Benintendi deal, but struggled last year with a 6.67 ERA in 79 2⁄3 innings for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 24-year-old right-hander walked 7.1 hitters-per-nine-innings.
Infielders
C.J. Alexander was acquired in 2022 from the Braves in the Drew Waters deal. The 27-year-old left-handed hitting first baseman provides good power smacking 13 home runs in 86 games for Omaha, but with a high strikeout rate of 28.6 percent and a line of .220/.280/.423.
Mike Brosseau hit .302/.378/.558 in 98 plate appearances for the Rays in 2020, but has struggled last year with the Brewers. Overall in five seasons he has .242/.313/.428 in 241 games. The 29-year-old right-handed hitter is capable of playing all over the infield and even a little outfield.
Cam Devanney was acquired last December from the Brewers in the Taylor Clarke deal. The 26-year-old hit .271/.363/.461 with 11 home runs in 103 games for Triple-A Nashville. A right-handed hitter, he primarily plays shortstop but is capable of playing all over the infield
Devin Mann was traded by the Dodgers for Ryan Yarbrough last summer and .276/.387/.502 with 20 home runs and 79 walks in 126 games at Triple-A. The 26-year-old hits from the right side and can play all outfield spots, but is better suited at the corners.
Tyler Tolbert is a speedster who went a perfect 60-for-60 in stolen base attempts in 2022 at High-A ball. Last year he showed some power, hitting .276/.336/.419 with 50 steals and a career-high 10 home runs for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 25-year-old can play middle infield or outfield.
Outfielders
Nate Eaton has appeared in 72 games over the past two years with the Royals, but has struggled to hit with a line of .201/.266/.283. The 27-year-old has enormous arm strength, showing off his cannon in a pitching appearance, and can play third base or outfield.
Diego Hernandez was on the 40-man roster last year, but a spring training injury cost him half the year. He returned to hit .245/.302/.291 with 17 steals in 60 games for Northwest Arkansas. The 23-year-old has good speed but has yet to develop much power as a left-handed hitter.
John Rave was a fifth round pick in 2019 out of Illinois State. The left-handed hitting outfielder hit .253/.349/.400 with 12 home runs and 10 steals in 124 games across Double-A and Triple-A.
Catchers
Tyler Cropley came up to play in two games for the Royals last year, collecting his first MLB hit. Cropley was originally drafted by the Nationals in 2018 out of Iowa, but was signed by the Royals in 2021 and has filled in as an organizational player since then, hitting .233/.330/.367 in the upper minors last year.
Rodolfo Duran has spent time in the Phillies and Yankees organizations before the Royals signed him as a minor league free agent last December. Last year he hit .252/.329/.444 with eight home runs in 62 games at Triple-A. The 25-year-old hits from the right side and showed some power earlier in his career.
Carter Jensen was a third-round pick in 2021 out of Park Hill High School in the Kansas City area. A left-handed bat with a patient eye and power potential, he hit .211/.356/.363 with 11 home runs and 92 walks in 116 games in High-A last year.
Logan Porter appeared in 11 games with the Royals last year, htiting .194 with a home run. The 28-year-old has been in the organization since 2018, showing excellent plate discipline and hitting .301 in 2022 with Omaha.
Luca Tresh was a 17th round pick in 2021 out of North Carolina State and is the cousin of former Yankee outfielder Tom Tresh. Luca hit .228/.313/.362 with 10 home runs in 92 games for Northwest Arkansas, but hit 19 home runs the year before that.