Will Smith to the Injured List, Angel Zerpa sent down in bullpen shuffle
Carlos Hernández and Daniel Lynch come up.
The Royals made a number of bullpen moves in anticipation of a critical four-game set against the first-place Cleveland Guardians. Lefty reliever Will Smith was placed on the Injured List with back spasms, and lefty Angel Zerpa was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. Replacing them on the roster are left-hander Daniel Lynch IV and right-hander Carlos Hernández. The Royals also called up pitcher Alec Marsh as their “27th man” to start Game 2 of Monday’s doubleheader.
Smith was lit up for five runs in an inning of work on Sunday against the Phillies, bloating his ERA to 6.53 for the year. The veteran has been a disappointment since signing a 1 year, $5 million contract with the Royals, quickly losing his closer’s role in April. He had seemed to find his footing over the summer in lower-leverage situations, but has given up 14 runs in his last five outings.
Angel Zerpa enjoyed a terrific first half as a strike-thrower in the pen, but has recently hit a wall. He has given up 10 runs in eight innings over his last nine outings causing his ERA to inflate by a full run to 4.40.
Carlos Hernández was optioned down last week, but can return before the required 15 days in the minors due to the injury to Smith. He has a 3.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 9 walks in 15 2/3 innings for the Royals this season.
Lynch gives the Royals another lefty who can give them multiple innings. He has a 6.35 ERA in 22 2⁄3 innings for the Royals this year as both a starter and reliever. He had a 3.54 ERA in 21 starts for Omaha with 7.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings.
On Sunday, the Royals also placed outfielder Hunter Renfroe on the Injured List with a hamstring injury and called up outfielder Tyler Gentry. Gentry is ranked the #15 prospect in the farm system by MLB Pipeline and made his big league debut in the eighth inning on Sunday, flying out. The righty bat was hitting .256/.346/.429 with 13 home runs in 105 games for Omaha. Gentry is in the starting lineup for the first game of Monday’s doubleheader.