Royals' Nick Howard: Reaches deal with Kansas City

Howard signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Tuesday and will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old Howard has yet to pitch above the Double-A level and made only three appearances with the Reds' Southern League affiliate at Chattanooga this season before he was released by the organization in June. The Royals saw enough potential in the righty -- a first-round pick in the 2014 first-year player draft -- to give him a look, but he'll need to produce quality results before building any serious momentum for a big-league callup.