KANSAS CITY -- The Royals on Monday claimed right-hander Conner Greene off waivers from the Cardinals, and to make room on the 40-man roster, they designated for assignment right-hander Burch Smith.
Greene, 23, originally was a seventh-round pick of the Blue Jays in the 2013 MLB Draft, He was ranked as the Cardinals' No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and was designated for assignment on Tuesday by St. Louis.
Greene went a combined 4-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 40 appearances between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. In his first 19 appearances for Memphis, Greene posted a 2.52 ERA. He also appeared in nine games in the Arizona Fall League -- going 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA.
Smith, taken by the Royals in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, was 1-6 with a 6.92 ERA in 38 outings (six starts) last season.