After not pitching in 2020, 15-year veteran right-hander Ervin Santana signed a one-year minor league deal Tuesday that returns him to the Kansas City Royals organization.Santana, 36, is a two-time All-Star who is 149-127 with a 4.09 ERA over 387 appearances (384 starts) for five teams, including the Royals in 2013. He went 9-10 in his lone season in Kansas City, with a 3.24 ERA in 32 starts and 211 innings.The one-year deal would be worth $1.5 million if Santana makes the major league roster, the Kansas City Star reported, with another $1.75 million available in incentives. He is expected to be invited to big league camp at spring training.

The Kansas City Royals announced Monday that they have re-signed right-hander Greg Holland.Holland, 35, signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal, according to multiple reports.The three-time All-Star will be starting the second season of his second stint with the club. He went 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA and six saves in 28 relief appearances for Kansas City in 2020 before becoming a free agent after the season.Holland also was with the Royals from 2010-15 and was an All-Star in both 2013 and 2014 when he was one of the top closers in the game. Holland had a 1.21 ERA and 47 saves in 68 games in 2013 and 46 saves with a 1.44 ERA in 65 appearances in 2014.Holland saved 32 games in 48 appearances in 2015 before suffering a major arm injury and undergoing Tommy John surgery. The injury caused him to miss the postseason as the Royals defeated the New York Mets to win the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals and free agent first baseman Carlos Santana have agreed to a two-year, $17.5 million deal, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.Santana, 34, batted a career-low .199 with eight homers, 30 RBIs and a league-leading 47 walks in 60 games with the Cleveland Indians in 2020.He made the American League All-Star team in 2019, finishing with a .281 average, 34 home runs and 93 RBIs.

The Kansas City Royals reached a one-year deal with first baseman/outfielder Hunter Dozier on Wednesday as the sides avoided arbitration.Dozier's deal is worth $2.72 million plus incentives, according to multiple reports.The two sides reached the deal just hours before a deadline for clubs to offer contracts to players on their 40-man roster.Dozier batted .228 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 44 games during the shortened 2020 season.One year earlier, he batted .279 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs in 139 games, when he had 65 extra-base hits, including tying for the major league high of 10 triples.

The Kansas City Royals reportedly have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent left-hander Mike Minor, pending the results of a physical.Minor, who turns 33 on Dec. 26, split the 2020 season with the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics and went 1-6 with a 5.56 ERA in 12 games (11 starts).He was an All-Star with the Rangers in 2019, finishing 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 208 1/3 innings.

The Kansas City Royals acquired right-hander Dylan Coleman from the San Diego Padres to complete an August trade for reliever Trevor Rosenthal.Coleman, 21, was the Padres' fourth-round draft pick in 2018. He sports a 3.18 ERA during his minor league career.San Diego also shipped outfielder Junior Perez to the Oakland Athletics to complete a trade for infielder Jorge Mateo this June.

Austin Romine's two-run double keyed a three-run first inning as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Royals 4-3 Saturday night in Kansas City, snapping a five-game losing streak.Neither team scored after the third inning.Matthew Boyd (3-7) battled through six innings to earn the win. He allowed three runs on five hits. Two of his three wins in 2020 came against the Royals, and the Tigers (23-34) won all three of his starts against Kansas City.Bryan Garcia picked up his fourth save in six chances.Carlos Hernandez (0-1) suffered his first career loss for Kansas City (25-34). He allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings.The Tigers, who came into the game leading the American League with a .271 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position, capitalized in the clutch again in the first. Niko Goodrum drove in Harold Castro with an RBI single, and Romine drove in two runs with a double off the wall in center.Derek Hill then got his first major league hit, but Romine was thrown out at the plate by Alex Gordon. The seven-time gold glove winner has 102 outfield assists since switching from third base during the 2010 season, the most in MLB in that period.

Brady Singer allowed one run over seven innings to lead the host Kansas City Royals to a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon.Singer scattered three hits and struck out five without walking a batter to finish off a solid rookie season at 4-5. The Royals (26-34) won three of the four games in the series between the two worst teams in the American League Central.The Tigers (23-35) opened the scoring in the first inning on a two-out, RBI double by Brandon Dixon. The Royals tied the game in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Adalberto Mondesi.The score remained that way until the fifth, when Royals designated hitter Ryan McBroom launched a home run to left-center to give Kansas City the lead.Mondesi added an insurance run for the Royals in the eighth, hitting an RBI double to right to boost the Royals' advantage to 3-1.Mondesi finished with 12 hits and seven RBIs in the series.Scott Barlow relieved Singer and retired the Tigers in order in the eighth inning. Jesse Hahn recorded his third save of the season by striking out the side in the ninth for Kansas City.

Adalberto Mondesi had at least three hits for the third straight game as the Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-2 Friday night in Kansas City.The Royals (25-33) have won 11 of their last 16 games.Brad Keller (5-3) had his second straight stellar outing at home. In his most recent start at Kauffman Stadium, he threw his first career shutout. Against the Tigers, he allowed no runs on four singles, with five strikeouts and no walks in six innings. He allowed multiple baserunners in only one inning.Jesse Hahn earned his second save.Spencer Turnbull (4-4) took the loss for Detroit (22-34). He allowed three earned runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked two.Keller has allowed one earned run in 33 innings this year at Kauffman Stadium. His 0.27 home ERA is the lowest among pitchers with at least five starts since at least 1920.Keller finished the season with a 2.47 ERA. He allowed the only two homers of the season in his last start in Milwaukee. He gave up only four extra base hits in 205 opponents' plate appearances in 2020.