Greg Holland agrees to minor league deal with Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Reliever Greg Holland is back with the Kansas City Royals, agreeing Wednesday to a minor league contract.

The 34-year-old right-hander would get a $1.25 million, one-year deal if added to the 40-man roster plus the chance to earn performance bonuses.

Holland was 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA last year in 40 relief appearances with Arizona, which released him on Aug. 9. He signed with Washington and pitched in eight games at Double-A but did not get called up.

A three-time All-Star, he pitched for Kansas City from 2010-15, helping the Royals win consecutive AL pennants in his final two seasons. He injured his pitching elbow in September 2015, had Tommy John surgery and missed the World Series victory over the New York Mets. He saved 47 games in 2013, 46 the following year and 32 in 2015.

He returned from surgery and signed with Colorado. Despite a drop in average fastball velocity from 96.5 mph to 94 mph, led the NL with 41 saves. His average fastball velocity dipped to 93.5 mph in 2018 and to 91.5 mph last year.