Royals sign former first-round pick Braden Shipley to minor-league deal
The Kansas City Royals picked up 27-year-old former first-round pick Braden Shipley, a right-handed pitcher, on a minor-league contract on Tuesday.
Shipley, the 15th overall pick in the 2013 draft, signed a deal slated to pay him $600,000 if he makes the major-league roster, according to a source.
He’s appeared in 26 games (14 starts) in the big leagues — all with the Arizona Diamondbacks — since his debut in 2016. Shipley has a 5.49 ERA and a 4-6 record in his big-league career thus far, and he’s struck out 64 and walked 45 in 100 innings. Opponents have batted .292 against him in the majors.
He went to spring training as a non-roster invite with the club this past spring and spent 2019 pitching for the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces.
This season, he posted a 5.95 ERA in 30 games (15 starts) in the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League. He struck out 88 and walked 37 in 95 1/3 innings, while he posted a 4-5 record with a 1.55 WHIP and opponent’s batted .293 against him.
The Royals continue to add low-cost pitching depth after both their starters and relievers ranked near the bottom of the American League in 2019.
Prior to the winter meetings they signed former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Trevor Rosenthal, who is in his second year coming back from Tommy John surgery, and they added right-handed pitcher Stephen Woods Jr. from the Tampa Bay Rays organization in last week’s Rule 5 Draft.
Back in the fold
The Royals officially re-signed shortstop Humberto Arteaga and infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia to minor-league deals on Tuesday afternoon. Both were non-tendered on Dec. 2, but had been expected to re-sign with the club. They’re each slated to make $585,000 if in the majors next season.
Considered a strong defensive player at shortstop, Arteaga, 25, played in 41 games, including his major-league debut on June 20. He batted .197 with four doubles and 11 runs scored.
He’ll provide depth at shortstop along with veteran infielder Matt Reynolds, who signed earlier this offseason. The Royals will head into spring training with starting shortstop Adalberto Mondesi still rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
Mejia, 25, was Triple-A Omaha’s player of the year in 2019. He played in just nine games after making his major-league debut on September 5 and batted .227 with a double and four RBIs.
Mejia batted .271 with 83 runs scored, 63 RBIs, 22 doubles, six triples and seven home runs in 128 games for Omaha. He also played five different positions — including second base, third base and shortstop — while in Omaha this season.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 12:13 PM.
