After several baseball-less months, the MLB is back.
Thursday marks the first 2025 spring training game and the Kanas City Royals will make their exhibition debut when they face the Texas Rangers on Friday. The Royals have already revealed that veteran lefty Daniel Lynch IV will be starting against the Rangers, leaving time to tell if Matt Quatraro's club will start the spring slate on the right foot.
Not only does the MLB's return mean baseball will finally be back on TV, but it also signifies fresh starts for certain players — including one ex-Royal who just landed a new contract.
Royals Spring Training News: Rockies Sign LHP Scott Alexander
The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders is reporting that ex-Royals left-handed pitcher Scott Alexander has signed a one-year MLB contract with the Colorado Rockies. The career reliever is expected to bring a veteran experience to a Rockies bullpen that finished with the worst ERA in the Majors (5.41).
#Rockies signed LPH Scott Alexander to a one-year, major league deal. He's 35. Gives the Rockies a veteran reliever. To make room for Alexander on the 40-man roster, infielder Aaron Schunk was designated for assignment.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) February 19, 2025
It's been a long time since Alexander played in Kansas City. The Santa Rosa, CA native was selected by the Royals in the 2010 draft's sixth round before going on to play parts of three seasons with the franchise. He made 79 relief appearances during that stretch, going 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.372 WHIP while amassing 78 strikeouts across 94 innings.
Following his three-year Royals run, Alexander has since made appearances with the LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics across the last seven seasons. He most recently spent the 2024 campaign with the A's, pitching to a 2.56 ERA and 1.190 WHIP while averaging his most strikeouts per nine innings (7.2) since the 2018 campaign.
Royals fans won't have to wait too long to see Alexander again.
The Rockies will be making their way to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game series from Apr. 22-24, marking the first time that the 35-year-old southpaw will pitch in Kansas City as the visitor. He's previously faced the Royals twice on the road, tallying one strikeout without a run allowed in one combined inning.
The upcoming series isn't for another two months, though. In the meantime, the Royals will be focused on preparing for the regular season as they look to make their first-back-to-back postseason appearances in over a decade.