Five things to know about Royals pitcher Nathan Karns

The Royals acquired right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns from the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Jarrod Dyson. Here are a five things about the newest Royal.

1. Karns turned 29 years old in November, but he is still relatively young as a major-league pitcher. He has made just 46 starts and logged just 265  1/3 total innings in four seasons. He is entering his final season before arbitration and will not reach free agency until after the 2020 season.

2. A native of Arlington, Texas, Karns is returning to Big 12 country. He played college baseball at Texas Tech before being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 12th round of the 2009 draft.

3. Karns suffered a lower-back strain in 2016 and missed the second half of the season. The Royals are confident that the back injury is fully healed, but Karns’ most serious battle with injury came while he was in the minors in 2010. Karns suffered a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder in 2010, missing the season before returning to the mound in 2011.

4. In four major-league seasons, Karns has posted a 4.41 ERA in 265  1/3 innings. But the Royals were attracted to his strikeout numbers. He has struck out 270 hitters in his career, posting more than one strikeout per inning.

5. On Friday, Karns was traded for the third time in his young career. On Feb. 13, 2013, Karns was dealt from Washington to Tampa Bay for Drew Vettleson, Jose Lobaton and Felipe Rivero. On Nov. 5, 2015, the Rays sent Karns, Boog Powell and C.J. Riefenhauser to the Seattle Mariners for Danny Farquhar, Brad Miller and Logan Morrison.

View Nathan Karns’ career stats and read all of our Royals “Five things to know” posts.

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Five things to know about Royals pitcher Nathan Karns."