The Royals announced Wednesday afternoon that they signed right-handed relief pitcher Blaine Boyer to a minor-league contract with an invite to major-league spring training.
Boyer, 36, pitched in 32 games with the Red Sox last season, posting a 4.35 ERA over 41 1/3 innings.
A journeyman, Boyer has not spent more than one season with a team since playing for the Diamondbacks from 2009-10.
He retired from baseball in 2012 and took a job at a brokerage firm. But he reached out to Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who knew Boyer from their shared time in the Braves’ organization, ahead of the 2013 season.