Royals acquire left-handed pitcher Tucker Davidson

The Royals announced they have acquired left-handed pitcher Tucker Davidson from the Angels for cash considerations and have added him to the active roster. Davidson had been designated for assignment last week.

The 27-year-old was originally a 19th-round pick by the Braves before he was traded to the Angels in 2022 in a deal for pitcher Raisel Iglesias. He has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues with a 6.15 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 105 ¹⁄₃ innings as a starter and reliever. This year he has pitched exclusively in relief and has a 6.54 ERA but a 3.37 FIP in 18 outings with 31 strikeouts in 31 ²⁄₃ innings with the Angels.

Davidson does not have a career platoon split, with lefties actually hitting him slightly better than right-handed hitters. Davidson relies heavily on a slider, throwing it over half the time, mixing in a low-90s fastball. He is out of minor league options, and the Angels designated him for assignment on Thursday to make room for Lucas Giolito.

Davidson joins Austin Cox as the only lefties in the Royals bullpen. The Royals now have a full 40-man roster after making their third trade in three days. They traded Nicky Lopez to the Braves for lefty Taylor Hearn on Sunday, then sent Jose Cuas to the Cubs for outfielder Nelson Velázquez yesterday.