Royals acquire right-hander from Brewers for cash

The Kansas City Royals added pitching depth on Tuesday, acquiring right-handed pitcher Easton McGee from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations.

The Brewers had designated McGee for assignment last week, and Kansas City immediately optioned the 28-year-old to Triple-A Omaha. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Royals transferred right-hander Nick Mears from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

McGee spent two separate stints with Milwaukee this season, appearing with the major league club from April 10-17 and May 1-3. He made two big league appearances, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings while recording one strikeout. Most of his workload came with Triple-A Nashville, where he made 25 appearances, including four starts, logging a 5.62 ERA over 41 2/3 innings with 43 strikeouts.

Since the beginning of the 2025 season, McGee has gone 9-2 with a 4.53 ERA across 89 1/3 innings for Nashville while limiting opponents to a .239 batting average. Last season, he also produced a 3.59 ERA as a reliever with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate. Seven of the 26 earned runs he has allowed this year came during four abbreviated starts that accounted for only 10 of his 41 2/3 innings.

McGee made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and has appeared in 13 career major league games, including one start. Across 26 1/3 innings, he owns a 3.08 ERA with 17 strikeouts, seven walks and a .219 opponents’ batting average. Five of his career-high nine appearances with Milwaukee in 2025 were scoreless.

Originally selected by the Rays in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Hopkinsville High School in Kentucky, McGee later spent time with the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners before signing with the Brewers as a free agent in November 2023. Kansas City becomes the fifth organization of his professional career.

The 6-foot-7, 222-pound right-hander relies on a six-pitch mix featuring a cutter, sinker, curveball, four-seam fastball, sweeper and changeup, with the cutter serving as his primary offering. He also generated a 34.1% chase rate and ranked in the 93rd percentile with a 67.7% strike rate, according to Prospect Savant. His four-seam fastball and sinker average just over 92 mph, complemented by an 80 mph curveball, an 87 mph cutter and occasional changeups around 85 mph.

McGee is in his final minor league option year, allowing the Royals to move him between Kansas City and Omaha for the rest of the season.

The move comes as the Royals pitching staff continues to battle injuries. Mears has been out since late May with a right shoulder impingement after pitching 19 1/3 innings with a 5.12 ERA this season. His transfer to the 60-day injured list means he cannot return before July 27, while the team also has Carlos Estevez, James McArthur, Connor Seabold and Alec Marsh on the injured list, making additional pitching depth a priority.