Brentz gets $1.9M deal with Royals, recovering from surgery

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Left-hander Jake Brentz and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $1.9 million, two-year contract that keeps him with the team as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The 28-year-old will get salaries of $850,000 this year and $1.05 million next year as part of the agreement that was announced Thursday. He can earn an additional $300,000 each year in performance bonuses for games finished: $50,000 each for 25 and each additional five through 50.

Brentz also can earn $100,000 in roster bonuses in 2024 only: $50,000 each for 90 and 120 days on the active major league roster.

He was 5-2 with a 3.66 ERA and two saves in a team-high 72 relief appearances as a rookie in 2021, striking out 76 in 64 innings. Brentz made eight appearances in April, going 0-3 with a 23.63 ERA, but went on the injured list April 30 with a strained flexor tendon in his left elbow.

Brentz made a pair of minor-league injury rehabilitation appearances at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on June 19 and 22, and the Royals announced July 21 that he had undergone reconstructive elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament.

Kansas City designated him for assignment on Nov. 15, and three days later Brentz elected for free agency.

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