Royals add Jesse Hahn, Erick Mejia, Gabe Speier to expanded roster

The Royals announced they have activated right-handed pitcher Jesse Hahn from the 60-day injured list and added him to the active roster. The team also added first baseman Ryan McBroom, infielder Erick Mejia, and pitcher Gabe Speier to the roster as part of expanded rosters in September. The Royals had already activated Adalberto Mondesi, Danny Duffy, and Cam Gallagher, and recalled Heath Fillmyer over the weekend.

The 30-year old Hahn was acquired back in January of 2018 from the Oakland Athletics along with Fillmyer for outfielder Brandon Moss, pitcher Ryan Buchter, and cash. Hahn missed all of last season and most of this year after an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament. He avoided Tommy John surgery, but still had “primary repair” to his right elbow. Hahn is a four-year Major League veteran with the Padres and Athletics with a 4.19 career ERA in 286 innings, but has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career.

Erick Mejia is a 24-year old switch-hitting infielder who hit .271/.339/.382 with seven home runs and 19 steals for Triple-A Omaha this year. The Royals acquired him from the Dodgers before the 2018 season in a three-way trade with the White Sox with pitcher Trevor Oaks in exchange for pitchers Scott Alexander and Joakim Soria. Mejia has good speed and is capable of playing all over the field.

Gabe Speier is a 24-year old left-handed pitcher who the Royals acquired in 2018 from the Diamondbacks along with pitcher Elvis Luciano for outfielder Jon Jay. Speier had a 2.42 ERA in 22 ¹⁄₃ innings with 28 strikeouts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, but could not put up the same numbers in the offense-friendly Pacific Coast League, posting a 5.63 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 40 innings. Speier was originally a 19th round pick by the Red Sox in 2013 out of high school in Goleta, California, and has also spent time in the Tigers organization.

The Royals acquired McBroom last week from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. The 27-year old right-handed hitter was hitting .315/.402/.574 with 26 home runs in 117 games for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

The moves give the Royals 33 players on the active roster, and they now have a full 40-man roster.