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The Kansas City Royals<\/a> announced on Tuesday that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Easton McGee<\/a> from the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> in exchange for cash considerations.<\/p>\n McGee, who was designated for assignment by Milwaukee last week, has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha after joining the organization.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In a corresponding roster move, the club transferred right-hander Nick Mears<\/a> from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL, officially opening a spot on the 40-man roster.<\/p>\n McGee is a 28-year-old right-hander out of Hopkinsville, Kentucky who stands 6-foot-7 and was originally a fourth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n He has pitched in parts of four big league seasons across three organizations, spending time with the Rays, Seattle Mariners<\/a> and Brewers, but his major league resume still only totals 26 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n In that small sample he owns a 3.08 ERA with a ground-ball rate above league average, though his 16.3 percent strikeout rate shows he is more of a contact manager than a swing-and-miss arm<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n McGee also had Tommy John surgery in 2023, costing him the rest of that year with Seattle.<\/p>\n He tossed two scoreless innings for Milwaukee earlier in 2026 before getting designated for assignment.<\/p>\n For a club sitting at 38-59, dead last in the AL Central, picking up arms like McGee for almost nothing makes sense at this point.<\/p>\n The tougher news out of Tuesday involves Mears.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old came over from Milwaukee in a December trade alongside outfielder Isaac Collins<\/a> in exchange for left-hander Angel Zerpa<\/a>, and Kansas City<\/a> was counting on him after he posted a 3.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across a career-high 63 appearances for the Brewers in 2025.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The early returns were promising too, as Mears opened the year with a 2.45 ERA and scoreless outings in 10 of his first 12 games.<\/p>\n Things fell apart in May when he posted an 8.64 ERA over 8.1 innings before landing on the 15-day IL on May 29 with a right shoulder impingement.<\/p>\n A setback on June 16 led to a shoulder injection, and he has been on a throwing program in Arizona<\/a> since.<\/p>\n The 60-day IL transfer means he cannot return until late July at the earliest, which is a tough hit for a bullpen<\/a> that has carried one of the worst ERAs in baseball this season.<\/p>\n Kansas City sits 13 games behind the first-place White Sox<\/a> in the division and is all but out of the postseason picture with the August 3 trade deadline approaching.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\nWho Is Easton McGee?<\/h2>\n
Mears’ Transfer to the 60-Day IL Stings<\/h2>\n
Looking Ahead<\/h2>\n