Former Gonzaga Bulldogs right-handed pitcher Wyatt Mills has been recalled by the Kansas City Royals, just two days after being traded by the Seattle Mariners as part of a package to acquire first baseman Carlos Santana.

Mills was initially a third round pick by Seattle out of Gonzaga during the 2017 MLB draft, and he rose quickly through the minor league ranks and made his debut with the team in 2020.

He appeared in 11 games for the Mariners, posting a 9.95 ERA with a 4.35 FIP, indicating the sidearm reliever suffered from some bad luck. Indeed, Mills was much better at Triple-A, where he posted a 3.14 ERA and a staggering 16 K/9.

Now he’ll get a chance to join a Kansas City bullpen that has largely been a disappointment this season, outside of closer Scott Barlow.

While Mills likely won’t work his way into late-inning situations, he should provide quality depth to a team in need of reinforcements out of the bullpen, and he joins Marco Gonzales (Seattle) and Eli Morgan (Cleveland) as Gonzaga alumni in the big leagues.

Andy Patton

Andy hosts the Locked on Zags and Locked on College Basketball podcasts, and serves Locked On in a marketing/digital content creator role as well. He lives just outside Portland with his wife Jenna and dog, Tillie.