The Royals selected Richards' contract from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. Richards signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on May 9 after being released by the Cubs three days prior. The 32-year-old right-hander struggled with Triple-A Iowa, but he's been better out of the bullpen for Omaha, where he has a 1.69 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, two saves and an 11:5 K:BB across 10.2 innings. Richards will take the spot on the Royals' 26-man roster vacated by Jonathan Bowlan, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Trevor Richards news
Team
Kansas City Royals
Birthdate
5/15/1993 (32)
Status
A
HT/WT
6'2", 205 lbs
Birthplace
Aviston, IL, USA
Position
RP
College
Drury University (MO)
Career History
Kansas City Royals
2025-Present
(1 season)
Chicago Cubs
2025-2025
(1 season)
Minnesota Twins
2024-2025
(1 season)
Toronto Blue Jays
2021-2024
(4 seasons)
Milwaukee Brewers
2021-2021
(1 season)
Tampa Bay Rays
2019-2021
(3 seasons)
Miami Marlins
2018-2019
(2 seasons)
The Royals selected Richards' contract from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. Richards signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on May 9 after being released by the Cubs three days prior. The 32-year-old right-hander struggled with Triple-A Iowa, but he's been better out of the bullpen for Omaha, where he has a 1.69 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, two saves and an 11:5 K:BB across 10.2 innings. Richards will take the spot on the Royals' 26-man roster vacated by Jonathan Bowlan, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
The Royals signed Richards to a minor-league contract Thursday. Richards had been cut loose by the Cubs earlier this week after posting a 7.27 ERA and 12:7 K:BB over 8.2 innings at Triple-A Iowa. The righty will report to Triple-A Omaha, where he will give the Royals some relief depth.
Richards was released by Chicago on Monday, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports. Richards didn't find much success in the early stages of the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Iowa, giving up seven runs on seven hits and seven walks across 8.2 innings in seven appearances (one start). He'll set his focus on finding a new opportunity following Monday's release.
Richards was among 20 non-roster players invited to spring training by the Cubs on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Richards joined the Cubs last month on a minor-league deal and he will now officially participate in spring training, where he'll compete for a bullpen job. The righty compiled a 4.55 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 65.1 innings for Toronto and Minnesota last season. If Richards does make the team, he'll likely have a low-leverage role and figures to be mostly off the fantasy radar.
The Cubs signed Richards to a minor-league contract Monday, Aram Leighton of Just Baseball reports. Richards had a 4.55 ERA in 2024 between the Blue Jays and Twins and saw his strikeout rate dip from 33.3 percent to 22.4 percent year-over-year. That said, as a versatile arm with some swing-and-miss ability, he's a solid get on a minor-league contract. Presumably, he'll receive an invitation to spring training, where he'll compete for a bullpen gig.
The Twins outrighted Richards to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday. Richards had been designated for assignment following a 4.15 ERA with 11 walks and seven wild pitches in 13 innings after being acquired at the trade deadline. He's no longer on the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization as relief depth at St. Paul.
Richards was designated for assignment by Minnesota. The Twins acquired Richards at the trade deadline for minor league infielder Jay Harry, but he struggled with the Twins. Richards had a 4.15 ERA and 11 walks and seven wild pitches in 13 innings as he could not command his change-up - his key out pitch. The Twins have struggled with finding depth in their bullpen and cut their losses.
Richards earned the save in a 6-3 win over the Guardians in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. After Jhoan Duran earned the save in the first game of the doubleheader, Richards got the call in the nightcap, where he set down Cleveland in order to earn his first save of the year. It's a nice bounce-back effort from Richards, who allowed three runs while issuing five walks in just two-thirds of an inning in his last appearance. Overall, the 31-year-old Richards sports a 4.82 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 53:29 K:BB across 56 innings between the Twins and Blue Jays this year.
The Twins acquired Richards on Tuesday in exchange for infielder Jay Harry, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Richards will provide the Twins with a right-handed option out of the bullpen who's capable of covering multiple innings. The 31-year-old covered 52.1 frames over his 45 appearances with the Blue Jays this season, logging a 4.64 ERA with seven holds and a 49:24 K:BB.