Kansas City Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Royals announced today they have claimed left-handed pitcher Luke Little off waivers from the Cubs and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. Little was designated for assignment on Monday.
To make room on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Luinder Avila was transferred to the 60-day Injured List.
Little, 25, had just one stint in the Majors this season, from April 14-22, during which he appeared in 1 game with the Cubs on April 15 in Philadelphia.
Since the start of 2025, he’s made only 3 Major League relief outings, after setting career highs in 2024 in appearances (30 games, 1 start), innings pitched (26.0) and strikeouts (28). He earned a spot on Chicago’s Opening Day roster in 2024 after making his big league debut on Sept. 6, 2023.
In 31 appearances in the minors this season with Double-A Knoxville (14 G) and Triple-A Iowa (17), he went 8-0 with a 5.03 ERA (22 ER in 39.1 IP) and 44 strikeouts (10.1 K/9). His 8 wins in relief are tied for the 3rd most in all of Minor League Baseball this year.
He was selected by the Cubs in the 4th round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of San Jacinto College (Texas) and has gone 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA (83 ER in 246.0 IP) over 143 appearances (32 starts) spanning parts of six