KC Royals make eleventh-hour addition to spring training invites

Spring training is officially underway, with the Kansas City Royals holding their first workout as a full squad on February 17. From Bobby Witt Jr. to Salvador Perez, the team's stars are back to prepare for another season alongside plenty of new faces — including one very last-minute addition.

On February 16, the Royals announced on social media that they had signed catcher Luke Maile to a minor league contract for 2025, which included an invite to spring training.

KC Royals add catcher Luke Maile on minor league contract

Kansas City will be the seventh organization of Maile's career, with the 34-year-old having previously had stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates (though he never appeared in a regular-season game), Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, and Cincinnati Reds.

Maile was initially selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 43rd round of the 2009 MLB Draft, but after rejecting their offer to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky, he was chosen by the Rays in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut on September 1, 2015, but only appeared in a total of 57 games for the Rays across 2015 and 2016 — slashing .214/.234/.338 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI — before being designated for assignment on April 2, 2017, and claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays four days later.

In Toronto, Maile served as the team's backup catcher — when he was healthy. A torn meniscus limited him to just 46 major league games in 2017, and he appeared in only 44 games in 2019 due to an oblique injury. He was non-tendered at the end of 2019 and became a free agent, then signed with the Pirates for 2020. Unfortunately, Maile underwent season-ending finger surgery after being hit by a pitch in an exhibition game, and was outrighted at the end of the season without ever playing a regular-season game for Pittsburgh.

Maile signed with the Brewers before 2021, but only appeared in 15 major league games before rejecting an outright assignment to Triple-A and becoming a free agent at the end of the season. He then joined the Guardians for 2022, but played in just 76 games and was non-tendered in November.

Before the 2023 season, Maile signed a one-year contract with the Reds, and in 199 plate appearances across 78 games, he slashed .235/.308/.391 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI. He re-signed with Cincinnati for 2024, but managed a line of .178/.268/.252 across 55 games. The Reds declined his option for 2025, making him a free agent at the end of the season.

Going into 2025, Maile has a career slashline of .208/.274/.319 across the Rays, Blue Jays, Brewers, Guardians, and Reds, with just 78 games in 2023 standing as his most in a single season. He was a reliable defender early in his career, but struggled last season, ending 2024 with -5 DRS.

Unless Salvador Perez or Freddy Fermin — who are locked in as the Royals catchers for 2025 — land on the injured list, Maile is unlikely to see much, if any, major league time this season. He has a lot of experience across numerous organizations, but this acquisition is likely to just be a depth move for the minors.