Jon Heyman broke the news first: Aaron Bummer has agreed to a minor league deal with the Royals and reported to Triple-A Omaha the same day.
Aaron Bummer agrees to minor league deal with Royals. Reported to Omaha today.
MLB Trade Rumors followed up almost immediately, which tells you how quickly this one moved from agreement to reported-in-uniform.
Royals To Sign Aaron Bummer To Minor League Deal t.co/6X0cZqOdid
This is stop No. 3 for Bummer since the calendar flipped to summer. The Braves released him back in May after he posted a 7.63 ERA over 19 games, easily the worst stretch of his career, with lingering shoulder issues from the year before dragging him down. He landed on his feet with the Cubs on a minor league deal shortly after, worked his way up to Triple-A Iowa, but never actually got the call to Chicago's bullpen. He opted out of that deal last week looking for a fresh shot, and the Royals were waiting.
The money situation is what makes this a low-risk flyer for Kansas City. Bummer is still owed $9.5 million this year, but it's Atlanta footing that bill after cutting him loose. If the Royals ever call him up, they'd only be on the hook for prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what Atlanta already owes. It's the kind of no-downside depth add that makes sense for a team that's been searching for bullpen help all summer.
Before the injury and ERA spike wrecked his 2026, Bummer was a reliable name out of the White Sox and Braves bullpens for a decade, a lefty specialist type who's logged over 400 career appearances. The Royals aren't necessarily counting on that version showing up in Omaha right away, but with the trade deadline approaching and Kansas City reportedly weighing what its bullpen even looks like by August, adding arms to the system costs nothing and could pay off if Bummer finds anything close to his old form.