The 26-year-old had a 9.00 ERA last year.
The Royals announced they have acquired right-handed pitcher Colin Selby from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor league pitcher Connor Oliver. Selby had been designated for assignment by the Pirates earlier this week and will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team transferred pitcher Josh Taylor to the 60-day Injured List with a bicep injury.
Selby was originally a 16th-round pick in 2018 out of Randolph-Macon College. He made his big league debut last year, appearing in 21 games with a 9.00 ERA in 24 innings with 30 strikeouts and 15 walks. The 26-year-old pitched two scoreless innings this year in Triple-A before being designated for assignment.
Selby is a sinker/slider pitcher who throws an occasional curve. His sinker clocks in at 96 mph with good drop, but was hit hard last year with opponents batting .395 against it. Meanwhile opponents hit just .192 against his slider with a 41 percent whiff rate. Selby generated nearly a 50 percent groundball rate last year.
Oliver was a 17th-round pick last June out of Miami of Ohio. He pitched just one inning for the Royals professionally, at the Arizona Complex League last year.
