Royals summon pitcher Alec Mills as 26th player for doubleheader

It’s every professional player’s dream to be part of a 25-man major-league roster. But Alec Mills’ doesn’t mind being the Royals’ 26th man Wednesday.

“It’s a dream come true,” Mills said.

Mills was called up from Class AA Northwest Arkansas to become the Royals’ additional player for the split double header against the Red Sox. Teams are allowed the extra manpower for this occasion.

It’s likely Mills, who hasn’t pitched in the majors, will return to the Naturals after Wednesday to resume what has been a superb season. In seven starts, Mills is 1-1 with a 2.36 ERA. He leads the Texas League with 44 strikeouts in 42 innings.

“I guess it’s been going well, just trying to attack hitters,” Mills said. “I’m trying to go as deep into games as I can.”

Mills, the Royals’ 22nd-round draft pick in 2012, played in college at Tennessee-Martin. In his last start, Mills struck out eight and walked one over six innings on May 12. He’s available for bullpen help Wednesday.

Royals manager Ned Yost said Mills and Matt Strahm were two pitchers who grabbed his attention in spring training.

“They were the most impressive guys for me,” Yost said.

Discussing the Royals, 40 games into the season 

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 12:17 PM.