Royals, Hobie Harris Agree To Minor League Deal

The Royals are in agreement with reliever Hobie Harris on a minor league contract, reports Ari Alexander of Boston 7 News. The Gaeta Sports Management client will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Harris has spent the last two seasons in the Boston system. He didn’t get a major league opportunity with the Red Sox, instead pitching mostly with Triple-A Worcester. Harris posted a 4.15 ERA in 31 outings with the WooSox in 2025. Harris missed the first half of the ’26 season to injury, returning to throw 24 2/3 frames of 2.55 ERA ball down the stretch. He struck out more than a quarter of opponents but walked over 15% of batters faced, which wasn’t enough to get a look in a strong Boston bullpen. The 33-year-old Harris has 16 games of major league experience, all of which came with the 2023 Nationals. He surrendered 12 runs (11 earned) with more walks than strikeouts across 19 1/3 innings. Harris has a 95 mph fastball but leans more heavily on his splitter and cutter. The University of Pittsburgh product carries a 4.26 ERA across parts of six Triple-A campaigns. Harris may have an opportunity to win a bullpen spot in Kansas City early next season. The Royals had one of the worst bullpens in the league this year. They finished 29th in ERA (5.07) and dead last in strikeout rate (18.9%). Daniel Lynch IV was the only K.C. reliever who had a strong season in more than brief playing time, and he finished the season in the rotation. Nate Pearson and Steven Cruz are their top projected leverage arms. It’s as weak as any on-paper bullpen in the league, and while the Royals are surely going to look for clearer upgrades in the late innings, it’s a good landing spot for journeymen on NRIs given the wide open middle relief picture. View Comments (0)