Royals Surprisingly Sign 32-Year-Old Journeyman After Three-Year MLB Hiatus
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Starting pitching has been a major strength for the Kansas City Royals in 2025. But in the blink of an eye, they've suddenly found themselves shorthanded.
The Royals' top two starters, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo, both went on the 15-day injured list on Saturday. With a groin strain and a finger sprain, respectively, it's not as though either is in danger of missing the rest of the year. But that's no guarantee they'll be back after just 15 days, either.
The Royals had already made one unusual pitching signing last week, nabbing 45-year-old Rich Hill to potentially join his 14th major league team. Now, they've added another arm to the stable who was pitching independent ball.
On Sunday, the Royals purchased the contract of John Gant from the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. Robert Murray of FanSided was the first to report the news of the signing.
Gant, 32, was pitching well for the Ducks through four starts, striking out 27 batters in 21 1/3 innings to go with a 1.71 ERA. But it was still surprising to see his name, considering he hasn't thrown a pitch in the big leagues since 2021.
Gant had a 3.86 ERA in parts of six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins. He had a decent year in St. Louis as a primary starter in 2018 (3.47 ERA), then backed it up with a 3.66 ERA and surprising 11-1 record out of the bullpen in 2019.
In 2023, Gant also made a brief three-game appearance for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's NPB.
The Royals aren't exactly counting on Gant to be an ace, but if they like what they see from him in Omaha, don't be surprised if he finds his way to the big-league roster, especially if Lugo and Ragans are out longer than expected.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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