Taylor James Clarke (born May 13, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Amateur career

Clarke attended

Broad Run High School Broad Run High School is a public secondary school in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Broad Run is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system (LCPS). It was ranked as the #1 Best Public High Sch ...

Ashburn, Virginia Ashburn is a unincorporated settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, its population was 46,349, up from 3,393 in 1990. It is northwest of Washington, D.C., and par ...

, where he played baseball, basketball and golf. He began his college career at

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...

. In January 2013, Clarke tore the ulnar collateral ligament of his pitching elbow, and underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. He learned in March that Towson planned on ending their college baseball program, and transferred to the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

The

selected Clarke in the third round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. He signed with the Diamondbacks and spent his professional season with the

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affilia ...

of the Low–A

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...

, where he did not give up a run in 21

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. Clarke spent the 2016 season with the Single–A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

, High–A

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

, and the Double–A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, where he posted a combined 12–9 record and 3.31 ERA in 149.1

with the three clubs. In 2017, he played for both the Double–A

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

and the Triple–A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, pitching to a combined 12–9 record and 3.35 ERA in 145 total innings between both teams. He spent all of 2018 with Triple–A Reno going 13–8 with a 4.03 ERA. On November 20, 2018, the Diamondbacks added Clarke to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He opened the 2019 season with Reno. On April 20, he was recalled to the major league roster for the first time. He made his major league debut that afternoon versus the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, recording three scoreless innings in relief and earning a save. His first big-league win came on May 25 at Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants. He finished the season with a record of 5–5 in 23 games (15 starts). Clarke joined a small group of Major League pitchers who picked up a win, loss and save in their first three appearances. In 2020, Clarke pitched to a 4.36 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 43.1 innings pitched across 12 appearances (5 starts). Clarke made 43 appearances out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

for the Diamondbacks in 2021, registering a 4.98 ERA with 39 strikeouts across innings pitched. On November 30, 2021, he was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks, making him a free agent.

Kansas City Royals

On December 1, 2021, Clarke signed a major league contract with the

. In 47 appearances for the Royals in 2022, he registered a 4.04 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 3 saves across 49.0 innings of work. Clarke made 58 appearances for Kansas City in 2023, posting a 5.95 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 3 saves across 59.0 innings pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 14, 2023, the Royals traded Clarke to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

in exchange for minor leaguers Cam Devanney and Ryan Brady. On March 30, 2024, Clarke underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, ruling him out for 6–8 weeks. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

following the acquisition of Aaron Civale on July 3. Clarke cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

on July 7. He elected free agency on October 9.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On December 12, 2024, Clarke signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the 2025 season with the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

, recording a 4.40 ERA with nine strikeouts over 10 games. On May 1, 2025, the Royals selected Clarke's contract, adding him to their active roster.

Personal life

Clarke was born with

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

of the muscles on the right side of his face. Clarke and his wife, also named Taylor, have twin sons together.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Taylor 1993 births Living people All-American college baseball players Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Loudoun County, Virginia Charleston Cougars baseball players Hillsboro Hops players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers Mobile BayBears players Nashville Sounds players Omaha Storm Chasers players Reno Aces players Sportspeople from Ashburn, Virginia Towson Tigers baseball players Visalia Rawhide players