Royals sign three to minor-league contracts, including Bubba Starling
The Royals have agreed to minor-league contracts with outfielder Bubba Starling, pitcher Jason Adam and first baseman Samir Duenez, the club announced Monday.
The three were among a group who were not offered major-league contracts last month. They became free agents and are now back in the Royals organization.
Starling, 26, was limited to 20 games last season between Class AAA Omaha and rehabilitation stints in Idaho Falls and Surprise. He hit .296 with four homers and 11 RBI. He was the Royals’ 2011 first-round pick from Gardner Edgerton High School, fifth overall.
Adam, 27, a right-handed pitcher, made his major-league debut in 2018, finishing 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in 31 appearances. The former fifth-round draft pick by Kansas City in 2010 from Blue Valley Northwest High returned to the Royals in 2017 after spending time in the Twins and Padres organizations.
Duenez, 22, spent most of last season at Class AA Northwest Arkansas, where he hit .282 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs in 80 games. He originally signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent in 2012.