Dillon Gee, Chien-Ming Wang among Royals’ 17 spring-training invitees

Dillon Gee and Chien-Ming Wang, who will add depth to the Royals’ starting rotation competition, are among 17 non-roster invitees to the club’s spring training in Surprise, Ariz.

Gee and Wang, both right-handers who signed minor-league contracts this offseason, are joined by left-handed pitchers David Huff and John Lannan and infielder Cody Decker. The other non-roster invitees have experience in the Royals’ organization. They are: right-handers Christian Binford, Aroni Nina and Brooks Pounders, left-handers Jonathan Dziedzic and Sam Selman, catchers Zane Evans, Cameron Gallagher and Parker Morin, and infielders Orlando Calixte, Dusty Coleman, Hunter Dozier and Whit Merrifield.

The entire Royals’ 40-man roster, which includes right-hander Kyle Zimmer and outfielders Bubba Starling, Brett Eibner and Jorge Bonifacio, will also be invited to spring training. The Royals will have to drop a player from the 40-man roster to add right-hander Ian Kennedy, who reportedly agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract but whose signing has yet to be formally announced.

Pitchers and catchers report to Surprise on Feb. 18 with workouts starting the next day. The full squad reports Feb. 22 with the first full workout on Feb. 23. The Royals’ first spring training game is March 2.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Dillon Gee, Chien-Ming Wang among Royals’ 17 spring-training invitees."