Ex-St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seth Maness lands deal with Kansas City Royals

Right-handed reliever Seth Maness did not have to cross state borders to land with his new team.

Maness, who spent his first four seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

The 28-year-old Maness underwent an operation on his right elbow in August, avoiding Tommy John surgery for an alternative procedure in which his ulnar collateral ligament was repaired rather than replaced. His recovery time was listed as three to six months rather than at least a year for Tommy John surgery.

Maness appeared in a career-low 29 games last season, spending more than a month on the disabled list, but returned and posted a career-long 14 1/3-inning scoring streak before making his final outing on Aug. 13. He finished 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA.

For his career, Maness owns a 17-10 record and 3.19 ERA with seven saves. He made at least 66 appearances in each of his first three seasons with St. Louis, including a career-high 76 in 2015.