Patton, 29, has made four scoreless appearances since returning from an 80-game suspension.

Patton has struck out three over 4.1 innings, walking just one batter over that four-game span. The left-hander should continue to serve in middle relief for Triple-A Omaha, but is likely far away from seeing any opportunities with the big league club.

Patton (suspension) signed a minor league contract with the Royals just before Opening Day, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Patton is currently serving an 80-game suspension for a positive test for amphetamines, but should provide the Royals with another left-handed pitching option out of the bullpen should an injury occur. He split the 2014 campaign between San Diego and Baltimore, but saw very different results between the teams.

Patton has received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for an amphetamine, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Patton had recently elected for free agency, so the suspension will likely hurt his chances of landing somewhere on a big league club as he'd be unavailable for the first half of the season. He struggled last season after missing the first 25 games to a suspension, putting up a 5.14 ERA, but was better after joining the Padres posting a 2.45 ERA in eight appearances for San Diego.

Patton has elected free agency, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Patton made just eight appearances with the Padres after coming over from Baltimore in late May, before shoulder troubles forced him onto the shelf. Rather than return him to the 40-man once he was healthy, the Padres simply designated the lefty for assignment, and Patton will now attempt to catch on elsewhere as a middle reliever. For his career, Patton owns a 3.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 169 innings.

The Padres activated Patton (shoulder) and designated him for assignment Tuesday.

Sidelined since mid-June with shoulder issues, Patton tossed five scoreless innings while on a minor league rehab assignment but evidently didn't show enough to warrant a return to the Padres' 40-man roster. For his major league career, Patton has held opposing lefties to a .243/.284/.349 batting line, but he's not necessarily assured of landing a major league deal this offseason.

Patton (shoulder) has made two rehab appearances for the Arizona League Padres, pitching two scoreless innings on one hit and one strikeout.

Patton, who started the assignment Sunday, appears to be faring well in his recovery from a sore left shoulder. He's already fulfilled the number of days required for a stint on the 60-day DL, so if the Padres' bullpen requires a lefty in the near future, he could be called upon. However, the more likely scenario is aiding the playoff run of one of the organization's minor league affiliates.

Padres transferred LHP Troy Patton from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

The move cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for Brooks Conrad. Patton doesn't have any structural damage in his shoulder but is in for a long rest and rehab.

Troy Patton will rest and rehab his left shoulder after getting a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.

Patton doesn't have any structural damage, but it's not clear how long it will be before he's cleared to resume throwing. The lefty allowed two runs in his first 7 1/3 innings for the Padres before going on the DL last month.

Padres placed LHP Troy Patton on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder soreness.

The 28-year-old southpaw has pitched well since coming over from the Orioles, allowing just two runs in his first 7 1/3 innings (2.45 ERA) while posting a 1.09 WHIP and 8/1 K/BB ratio. The hope is that he'll need only a minimum stint on the DL and will rejoin the Padres bullpen in late June.

Padres acquired LHP Troy Patton from the Orioles in exchange for C Nick Hundley.

The 28-year-old reliever appeared in just nine games for the O's this season, posting an 8.10 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and 5/4 K/BB ratio over 6 2/4 innings. He missed the first 25 games of the season due to a suspension for using Adderall. He has proven to be a very reliable bullpen piece in the past though, and should make for a nice addition for the Padres.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Orioles are shopping left-hander Troy Patton.

And they're looking for a catcher in return. Patton opened the 2014 season on a 25-game suspension for unprescribed Adderall use but he owns a solid 3.08 ERA and 1.175 WHIP over his last 114 innings of relief and should be drawing quite a bit of interest on the trade market.

Orioles reinstated LHP Troy Patton from the restricted list.

Patton has served his 25-game suspension for Adderall and is now back in the Baltimore bullpen. He holds a 3.04 ERA over the last three-plus years for the O's and will be a welcomed addition in middle relief.

Troy Patton will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday.

The veteran reliever was suspended for the first 25 games of the regular season after testing positive for Adderall. He saw very little work in spring training, and will round himself into shape at the Triple-A level before returning to the O's bullpen.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter indicated Saturday that Troy Patton will likely see his innings limited during spring training.

Patton has been suspended for the first 25 games of the regular season after he tested positive for Adderall. While he'll be in spring camp with the team, Showalter said it will be hard to give valuable innings to a guy who won't be able to pitch in the big leagues until April.

Orioles avoided arbitration with LHP Troy Patton by agreeing to a one-year contract.

The financials of the deal are not yet known. Patton has put up a 3.05 across 130 appearances over the last three seasons. He'll miss the first 25 games of this season after testing positive for amphetamines.

Major League Baseball has suspended Troy Patton for 25 games for testing positive for amphetamines.

He'll serve the suspension at the beginning of next season. It's a blow to the Orioles' left-handed relief corps, as Patton boasts a 3.05 across 130 appearances over the last three seasons. The O's will still have Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland as southpaw options for the 'pen.

Troy Patton holds a 4.05 ERA over 18 appearances.

The left-hander put up a 2.43 ERA over 54 appearances last season in his first full year in the majors. His encore isn't going as smoothly due to an increased rate of walks (more than double what it was last season) and decreased strikeouts (he's punching out 3.4 less batters per nine innings). Being increasingly hittable doesn't help either. After a 1.02 WHIP in 2012, Patton sits at 1.55 today.

Orioles avoided arbitration with LHP Troy Patton by agreeing to a one-year, $815,000 contract.

He can earn more through incentives. Patton was a first-time arbitration-eligible player as a Super 2 qualifier. The left-hander put up a 2.43 ERA over 54 appearances last season in his first full year. He'll set up again from the left side in 2013.

Orioles activated LHP Troy Patton from the 15-day disabled list.

Patton has been sidelined for the past month because of a sprained ankle. The lefty will return to being one of Buck Showalter's primary left-handed weapons out of the pen.

Troy Patton (ankle) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Friday.

Patton appeared in an instructional league game over the weekend with no problems. He's been sidelined for the past month because of a sprained ankle.