Royals will wear memorial jersey patch to honor Yordano Ventura

Five days after the death of pitcher Yordano Ventura, the Royals on Thursday revealed a memorial shoulder patch that will be worn on their jerseys during the 2017 season.

The patch will be debuted on Friday on the first day of the club’s annual FanFest at Bartle Hall. The black rectangular patch features the memorial “ACE 30” in white letters, a nod to Ventura’s nickname and number.

Ventura, 25, died early Sunday morning in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic. He was laid to rest on Tuesday in his hometown of Las Terrenas with many teammates and members of the organization present at the funeral. The Royals will hold a private memorial service for players and members of the organization on Friday morning before the start of FanFest.

Pitcher's mound is centerpiece of tribute to Yordano Ventura at FanFest 

Yordano Ventura on learning English, communicating with teammates 

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Royals will wear memorial jersey patch to honor Yordano Ventura."