The Royals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander . The club already had a 40-man vacancy. Right-hander was optioned to open an active roster spot. Altavilla, 31, David Ortiz Jersey signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the offseason. He has since made 24 appearances for Triple-A Omaha, allowing 2.63 earned runs per nine innings. Thats at least partially luck, as he has been giving out walks at a 12.8% clip and cant continue stranding 91.8% of baserunners forever. But his 27.5% strikeout rate with the Storm Chasers was quite strong and hes also been getting grounders on 44.6% of balls in play. That performance will get Altavilla back to the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He made 119 appearances in the majors from 2016 to 2021 with a 4.03 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 38.8% ground ball rate. But he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 and hasnt made it back to the majors until now. He signed a two-year minor league deal with the Red Sox and didnt pitch in any official capacity in 2022. He returned to the mound last year but struggled to get back in form right away. He to sed 12 innings on the farm last year with an ERA of 3.00, but he was helped by a tiny .194 batting average on balls in play as he only struck out 14.3% of opponents while giving out walks at a 10.2% clip. The Sox released him in August but his new deal with the Royals seems to have allowed him to get back on track. It was last week that the Royals are looking for bullpen help, with some more swing-and-mi s a specific target area. Altavilla could perhaps give the club an internal source of that upgrade they are looking for, based on his strikeout numbers this year and earlier in his career. If Altavilla clicks, perhaps that will alter the clubs approach prior to the July 30 trade deadline. If it doesnt work out, hes likely to end up designated for a signment since he is out of options. But if he manages to hang onto his roster spot through the end of the schedule, he can be retained for next year via arbitration since he has le s than five years of major league service time. Matt Canterino Jersey