Royals adds hard‑throwing reliever Nate Pearson from Houston

In hopes of fortifying their beleaguered bullpen, the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday traded for fiery right-handed reliever Nate Pearson.

The Houston Astros had designated Pearson for assignment on Sunday. The Royals sent right-handed minor-league pitcher Max Martin to Houston in return; they also designated outfielder Kameron Misner for assignment in order to make room for Pearson on their 40-man roster.

Pearson, 29, began the year on the Injured List and made his season debut on May 20. He went 1-0 with one save and a 3.60 ERA (8 earned runs in 20.0 innings) across 16 appearances.

Pearson was a first-round MLB Draft pick in 2017, selected 28th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. He had starred at the College of Central Florida, a junior-college program.

Pearson has spent six seasons in the majors, playing for Toronto, the Chicago Cubs and Houston. He relies heavily on a four-seam fastball and slider; his four-seamer and sinker have topped out near 98 mph this season, with his slider reaching 89 mph, according to StatCast.

Martin, 22, was a 10th-round pick for the Royals in 2025. This season he split his time between Single-A Columbia and High-A Quad Cities, where he was 6-2 with two saves and a 2.01 ERA (9 ER in 40.1 IP).

Several Royals pitchers — starters and relievers — are recovering from various injuries. The rotation for the team’s upcoming 10-game road trip was still being determined based on player availability.

Quatraro said he didn’t know when Pearson would be in a Royals uniform. But he sounded confident that he knows what he’s getting.

“We’ve seen Nate quite a bit over the years with the Blue Jays, this year with the Astros. Big arm, high upper 90s velo,” Quatraro said. “He’s got good stuff. He’s got above-average stuff across the board. Power arm.

“That’s somebody that’s very intriguing. (If h)e gets things clicking again, (he) could be a big part of the bullpen.”