Royals relief pitcher Drew Storen hadn’t pitched in a professional baseball game since Sept. 1, 2017. Later that month, he underwent Tommy John surgery. He spent the entire 2018 season rehabbing.
Saturday, he made his debut for the Royals in an 8-0 Cactus League win over the Seattle Mariners in front of an announced 6,631 at Surprise Stadium. Storen, who has a 48-save season with the Washington Nationals, pitched one scoreless inning, and worked his way into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.
“Storen just stepping on the mound is a success for him after everything he’s gone through,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.