The right-hander has pitched in parts of four MLB seasons.
The Royals announced they have signed right-handed pitcher Thomas Hatch to a minor league deal. The 30-year-old has pitched in parts of four seasons in the big leagues with the Blue Jays and Pirates, with a 4.96 ERA in 39 career relief appearances.
Hatch is a Tulsa native who pitched at Oklahoma State before the Cubs made him a third-round pick in 2016. As a minor leaguer, he was traded to the Blue Jays for pitcher David Phelps and he made his MLB debut in 2020 with a 2.73 ERA in 17 games.
Hatch was up and down the next few seasons and was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in 2023. He spent last year in Japan pitching for Hiroshima, but had a 7.36 ERA in 22 innings and spent most of the season in their minor leagues. Overall at the MLB level, he has pitched in 69 innings with 61 strikeouts and 33 walks.
Hatch throws a cutter, changeup, and sinker, generating a career groundball rate of 44 percent. Royals pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 12.