chen pitched for panama again at the 2009 world baseball classic. on march 1, , chen signed a minor league contract with the kansas city royals. he made his debut with the royals on june 27, 2009. he allowed 4 runs in 7 innings. chen's second start was much better, as he only gave up two runs on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. on august 6, 2009, chen won his first major league game since october 2, 2005.