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The Royals acquired Pearson from the Astros on Wednesday in exchange for Max Martin.
Pearson had been designated for assignment by Houston, but he will now join a 40-man roster in a new organization. The hard-throwing righty holds a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 16:12 K:BB in 20 innings in the majors this season. Pearson does not have any minor-league options remaining, so he will join the Royals' bullpen.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Cast off 40-man roster
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Houston designated Pearson for assignment on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 29-year-old will lose his spot on the 40-man roster after he turned in a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 16:12 K:BB in 20 innings while serving as a middle-relief option for Houston. The Astros called up infielder Raynel Delgado from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Pearson's spot on the 26-man active roster.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Earns win Friday
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Pearson (1-0) earned the win Friday against the Royals with two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out one.
Pearson did a good job finding the strike zone with 13 strikes on 15 pitches, and he made quick work of the seven batters he faced despite allowing a single to Salvador Perez in the sixth inning. Pearson hasn't allowed any runs in six of his seven outings this season and figures to continue as a middle reliever for Houston. He owns a 3.12 ERA across 8.2 innings and seven outings so far.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Earns first save of 2026
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Pearson collected the save in Sunday's 8-5 win over the Cubs, issuing one walk in a scoreless ninth inning.
Bryan King pitched out of the bullpen both Friday and Saturday and Bryan Abreu was deployed in the eighth inning of Sunday's game, so the Astros turned to Pearson to close things out. Pearson issued a walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong but got out of the inning unscathed after retiring the next three batters, needing 20 pitches (11 strikes) to get out of the frame. It was the first save of the season for Pearson and his first since the 2024 season. With King, Abreu and a soon-to-return Josh Hader (biceps) all ahead of him in the ninth-inning pecking order, Pearson is unlikely to see many more save opportunities this season.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Returning to bullpen
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The Astros reinstated Pearson (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
Pearson is returning from a rehab assignment after he dealt with soreness in his right elbow that stemmed from an offseason cleanup. He will likely be used primarily as a reliever for the Astros after pitching out of the bullpen during his rehab assignment. In a corresponding move, the Astros placed Lance McCullers on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Nearing return from IL
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Pearson (elbow) could be activated from the 15-day injured list during Houston's series against Minnesota, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pearson has been working as a reliever during his rehab assignment, and the expectation is that he'll be back with the major-league club soon to provide the bullpen a boost. The right-hander wasn't activated in time for Monday's series opener, but he could be back in action at some point over the next two days, per skipper Joe Espada.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Will return as reliever
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Pearson (elbow) is being built up as a reliever on his rehab assignment, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
When Pearson was signed by the Astros over the offseason, the intention was to stretch him out to be an option for the rotation. However, the club has reversed course and will bring Pearson back as a member of its bullpen. Pearson -- who has pitched predominately as a reliever in the majors -- has posted a 9.53 ERA and 8:10 K:BB over 5.2 frames in his four rehab appearances.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Kicks off rehab assignment
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Pearson (elbow) permitted one run on one hit and four walks over two innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday.
Pearson hit some bumps in the road in his recovery from an offseason cleanup surgery on his pitching elbow, but he's finally ready for game action. Given that he threw 53 pitches in his first rehab outing, it seems Pearson will be stretched out as a rotation option for the Astros. That means his rehab assignment will take longer, though the club could alter plans and activate him as a reliever if a need arises in the bullpen.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Moving closer to rehab assignment
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Pearson (elbow) faced live hitters for the second time in an extended spring training game Friday, MLB.com reports.
Pearson has been on the shelf all season while he works his way back from an offseason cleanup procedure on his right elbow, but the fact that he's now faced hitters on multiple occasions suggests that a rehab assignment could be on the horizon. Given that he didn't pitch in any games during the Grapefruit League, Pearson will likely require an extended minor-league assignment before being activated from the 15-day injured list and joining the Houston bullpen.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Faces hitters
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Pearson (elbow) has progressed to throwing a live batting practice session, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pearson developed soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow a month ago and has been brought along slowly since then. That he's now facing hitters suggests a rehab assignment could be right around the corner. Pearson signed with the Astros over the offseason with the intent to be a starting pitcher, but his best path to a role right now is as a reliever.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Goes on 15-day IL
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The Astros placed Pearson (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Pearson had to be shut down in early March after feeling soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. It's not clear whether he's resumed throwing, and even if he has he's surely looking at longer than a minimum stay on the IL.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Throwing paused due to sore elbow
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that the team will "slow down" Pearson's throwing program after the pitcher felt soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow during his last bullpen session, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pearson had arthroscopic surgery in his pitching elbow over the offseason and had been ramping up slowly in Astros camp. It was already likely that Pearson would begin the season on the injured list, and now it should be a given. Houston signed Pearson with the thought that he'd be stretched back out as a starting pitcher, but his health and role are now in question.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Still ramping up after surgery
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Pearson (elbow) is still in a velocity ramp-up progression and might not be ready for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros aren't sure whether Pearson will be able to appear in Grapefruit League games, pointing to a likely stint on the injured list to begin the season. Pearson will be stretched out as a starting pitcher, but he does not have minor-league options remaining, so his role once he's healthy could be dependent on the Astros' needs at the time.
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Astros' Nate Pearson: Had offseason cleanup on elbow
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Pearson underwent a cleanup procedure on his right elbow during the offseason but will throw a bullpen session Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander joined the Astros on a one-year, $1.35 million contract during the offseason, and it appears he's opening camp in good shape despite the procedure. Pearson surrendered 15 earned runs over 11 relief outings for the Cubs last season but was dominant at the Triple-A level with a 2.22 ERA across 44.2 innings. He's primarily worked as a reliever since 2021, but Houston is expected to give him a chance to stretch out as a starter during spring training.
Astros' Nate Pearson: Inks one-year deal with Astros
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The Astros signed Pearson to a one-year, $1.35 million contract Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pearson allowed 15 runs with a 7:10 K:BB over 14.2 innings during his time with the Cubs in 2025. He had better luck at Triple-A Iowa, collecting a 2.22 ERA and 57:24 K:BB across 44.2 frames. Pearson has worked almost exclusively as a reliever since 2021, but the Astros are expected to give the former top prospect a chance to be a starting pitcher. The 29-year-old does not have minor-league options remaining, so he'll likely be part of Houston's bullpen if he doesn't crack the Opening Day rotation.
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Cubs' Nate Pearson: Loses roster spot
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The Cubs designated Pearson for assignment Saturday.
Before he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 11, Pearson made 11 appearances with the big-league club this season, logging a 9.20 ERA over 14.2 innings. The transaction cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever Eli Morgan (elbow), who was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A.
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Nate Pearson: Cut loose by Cubs
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The Cubs released Pearson on Sunday.
No teams were willing to put in a waiver claim for the right-hander after Chicago designated him for assignment Saturday, and the Cubs will now allow Pearson to get a head start on finding a new destination heading into 2026. Prior to losing his roster spot, Pearson made 11 appearances out of the Chicago bullpen and posted a 9.20 ERA and 2.18 WHIP while issuing 10 walks over 14.2 innings.
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Cubs' Nate Pearson: Returned to Triple-A
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Pearson was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.
Pearson was promoted from Triple-A on Tuesday and delivered four scoreless innings over two appearances, but it won't be enough to keep his spot on the big-league roster heading into a three-game series against Toronto. The Cubs have yet to announce a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Nate Pearson: Rejoins big club
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The Cubs recalled Pearson from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
The right-hander has made just one appearance with the Cubs since late April, but he's back in the big leagues Tuesday with Michael Soroka (shoulder) heading to the injured list. Pearson has struggled in his nine big-league outings this year with a 12.66 ERA, 2.53 WHIP and 6:9 K:BB over 10.2 innings.
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