Royals officially announce Jordan Lyles signing, DFA Ryan O’Hearn
The Kansas City Royals made their most recent free agent signing official on Wednesday, announcing their two-year contract with right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com originally reported the deal on Dec. 19.
Lyles spent last season with the Baltimore Orioles, posting a 12-11 record in 32 starts with a 4.42 ERA, and his career ERA is 5.10. The Royals will be the eighth team he’s played for, and 2022 will be his 13th season in the majors.
Now that the move is official, this is the second starting pitcher the Royals have signed this offseason, joining former Tampa Bay Ray Ryan Yarbrough.
To make room for Lyles, the Royals also announced that they’ve designated infielder Ryan O’Hearn for assignment.
That move came as a bit of a surprise given the Royals had signed O’Hearn to a $1.4 million deal on Nov. 15, avoiding arbitration.
O’Hearn has spent most of the last five seasons with the Royals after being called up to the majors in late 2018, which was his most productive season by far. In 44 games that season, he hit 12 home runs, posted a .950 slugging percentage and had an OPS+ of 154, or 54% above league average in that metric. O’Hearn never came close to that mark again, never surpassing an OPS+ of 73, which came last season.
He played in a reduced role in 2022, starting 28 times in 67 games played. He hit just one home run, knocked in 16 RBIs and put up a .239 batting average.
