Staumont was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Staumont is a surprising omission from the Opening Day roster. He pitched to a 1.13 ERA and 10:5 K:BB across eight innings during Cactus League play, though the walk issues are a carryover from 2022. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports manager Matt Quatraro told Staumont that he needs to work on getting ahead in counts. It's expected he'll be with the big club again at some point in the season, though the Royals boast bullpen depth that has been lacking in recent years.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Expected to pitch in spring opener
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Staumont (biceps) is among the Royals relievers who is expected to pitch in Friday's Cactus League opener versus the Rangers, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Staumont spent the final six weeks of the 2022 season on the injured list with right biceps tendinitis, but he looks to be back to full strength for spring training and should open the upcoming campaign in a high-leverage relief role for Kansas City. Though he's picked up eight saves across the past two years and owns a career 26.1 percent strikeout rate in the majors, Staumont will face a tougher path to the closing gig in 2023 now that the Royals have added Aroldis Chapman to the roster to challenge Scott Barlow -- who saved 24 games last season -- for the gig.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Inks one-year deal
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Staumont (biceps) signed a one-year, $1.025 million contract with the Royals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Staumont put up an ugly 6.45 ERA over 42 appearances in 2022 before his season ended prematurely due to a biceps issue. The Royals will be hoping for better health and better results in 2023, and the 29-year-old right-hander is still a likely candidate to fill a high-leverage role.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Out with biceps tendinitis
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Staumont was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right biceps tendinitis, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Staumont has surrendered 10 runs in his past four outings and will now be sidelined for at least the next couple weeks due to the tendinitis. He also threw a career-high 42 pitches over 1.1 innings Tuesday versus Arizona. The 28-year-old will be eligible for activation Sept. 9.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Hit hard again
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Staumont (3-3) took the loss Tuesday versus Arizona, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in 1.1 innings.
Staumont has given up at least one run in five of his eight appearances in August, with Tuesday's outing being one of the worst this month. He entered with the game tied at 1-1 in the seventh inning and yielded a sacrifice fly. He remained in the game to begin the eighth, but was charged with all three of Arizona's runs in that frame after Luke Weaver struggled to contain the mess. Staumont's bad month has him up to a 6.45 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 43:29 K:BB through 37.2 innings this year. He hasn't logged a hold since June 21 -- his last appearance before missing nearly a month with a neck injury -- so it's fair to question if he's even in the high-leverage mix at this stage. The Royals' bullpen has a collective 4.76 ERA, so there are few better options to serve as setup man to closer Scott Barlow.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Falls apart Friday
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Staumont (3-2) allowed five runs on four hits and a walk without recording an out, taking the loss Friday versus the Dodgers.
Staumont was responsible for the entirety of the Dodgers' five-run rally in the seventh inning, including the two runners he left on base that Luke Weaver couldn't prevent from scoring. Inconsistency has been a problem for Staumont for the better part of two months, which includes an absence due to a neck injury. The right-hander now has a 5.77 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 41:25 K:BB through 34.1 innings. He's added three saves and five holds, but it seems unlikely he'll get many high-leverage looks since he hasn't gone more than two outings in a row without allowing a run since early June.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Collects win over White Sox
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Staumont (3-1) struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the win Wednesday over the White Sox.
Staumont kept the game tied in the top of the seventh inning, and MJ Melendez put the Royals ahead with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. It's been mixed results for Staumont since he returned from a neck injury in mid-July -- he has allowed six runs over 8.1 innings in his last nine appearances. Overall he's posted a 4.46 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 41:24 K:BB through 34.1 innings overall while adding three saves, five holds and three blown saves. The right-hander's neck injury cost him the primary setup role to Taylor Clarke (oblique), who is now on the injured list himself, which should allow Staumont to re-establish himself in the high-leverage mix.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Reinstated from injured list
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Staumont (neck) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday.
Staumont landed on the injured list with a neck strain in late June. He recently made a pair of rehab appearances at Triple-A Omaha, allowing one run and one walk while striking out four in two scoreless innings, and he'll rejoin the Royals' bullpen ahead of Friday's game against the Blue Jays.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Rehab assignment on tap
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Staumont (neck) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Staumont landed on the injured list in late June due to a neck strain but has been cleared to return to game action in the minors to close out the weekend. If he feels good following Sunday's rehab appearance, the right-hander will likely be able to rejoin the Royals sometime next week.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Out with neck strain
Rotowire
Staumont was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, retroactive to June 23, with a neck strain.
Staumont hasn't pitched since giving up two runs over one-third of an inning Tuesday against the Angels, and he's apparently dealing with a neck injury. The 28-year-old will be eligible to be activated July 8, though it's unclear if he's expected to be healthy by that time.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Notches fourth hold
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Staumont struck out one in a perfect inning to earn a hold in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Orioles.
Staumont has settled down lately with a six-inning scoreless streak in his last six appearances. He's allowed three hits and two walks while striking out six in that span. The right-hander has a 3.18 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB across 22.2 innings overall. He's added a 2-1 record, three saves, four holds and three blown saves as one of the Royals' primary late-inning options, though Scott Barlow remains the closer. Given the Royals are near the bottom of the overall major-league standings, fantasy managers may want to invest in bullpens with more save chances to go around.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Secures second win
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Staumont (2-1) pitched a perfect inning and struck out two to earn the win Thursday versus the Twins.
Staumont retired the side on 13 pitches (nine strikes) in the seventh inning, and the Royals rallied for the lead in the eighth. This was a solid bounce-back outing for Staumont, who took his first loss of the year in his last appearance May 22, which also came against the Twins. The right-hander now has a 4.08 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB with three saves, three blown saves and two holds in 17.2 innings. While Staumont pitched well, Scott Barlow was able to add a two-inning save Thursday -- both relievers are expected to continue sharing closing duties on a matchup basis as they have for much of the season.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Handed loss Sunday
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Staumont (1-1) took the loss Sunday versus the Twins. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts in one inning.
Staumont got the last out of the eighth inning after Taylor Clarke and Scott Barlow worked into a jam. He returned for the ninth, but Staumont got into trouble himself, allowing a sacrifice fly to Gary Sanchez and the go-ahead run on a two-out Gio Urshela single. Sunday's outing ended Staumont's 3.2-inning scoreless streak. The 28-year-old owns a 4.32 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 24:9 K:BB across 16.2 innings. He's logged three saves, two holds and three blown saves in 18 appearances.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Notches third save
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Staumont struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to record his third save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox.
Scott Barlow had pitched on three of the prior four days including Sunday and Monday, so Staumont got the call in the save situation and needed 16 pitches (12 strikes) to convert it. It's his first save since April 19, and the 28-year-old will remain second in line for ninth-inning duty as long as Barlow remains effective. On the season, Staumont sports a 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 14.2 innings.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Snares win Sunday
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Staumont (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win Sunday versus the Rockies.
The Royals' six-run lead evaporated in the seventh inning, but Staumont kept the deficit to one in the eighth. Salvador Perez hit a two-run single in the ninth to put Staumont in line for the win, and Scott Barlow was able to finish off the save. In his last eight outings, Staumont has surrendered four runs, nine hits and four walks. His win Sunday was his first decision of the year to go with two saves, two blown saves and a hold, and he's logged a 3.95 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB in 13.2 innings.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Inconsistent in May
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Staumont has allowed two runs in his last 3.2 innings.
Staumont has seen inconsistency creep into his pitching since late April -- he's allowed runs in four of his last seven outings. Two of those instances resulted in blown saves, which has allowed Scott Barlow to reclaim a stronger grip on the closer role. Staumont has a 4.26 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 19:7 K:BB while adding two saves and a hold through 12.2 innings this season.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Takes blown save
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Staumont allowed a run on two hits in one inning, taking a blown save Thursday versus the White Sox.
Staumont allowed a pair of singles to open the eighth inning, then yielded a run on a sacrifice fly before escaping trouble. It counts as his second blown save in 10 appearances, though he's also secured two saves and a hold. The right-hander has a 4.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB across nine innings while sharing closing duties with Scott Barlow.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Nails down first save of season
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Staumont struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Tigers.
Scott Barlow came into the year as the presumed closer for manager Mike Matheny, but it was Staumont who got the Royals' first save of 2022 while Barlow entered the game with two outs and one on in the seventh inning to pick up a hold. Both right-handers had worked the day before, so it seems clear they are the top two arms in the Kansas City bullpen for now, but if Barlow gets deployed in more of a fireman role, Staumont's fantasy value will rise quickly.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Clean inning in relief
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Staumont pitched a perfect eighth inning Friday, striking out one in a 2-1 loss to Detroit.
Staumont needed just nine pitches to retire the side in order in the eighth. It was the first clean inning of the season for the righty. In 2021, he allowed fewer than six hits per nine innings while fanning nearly 10 batters per nine and picking up five saves and 16 holds. Scott Barlow is the closer for the Royals, but Staumont is still one of the top high-leverage arms in their bullpen.
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Royals' Josh Staumont: Struggling in spring
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Staumont has allowed five runs on three hits and six walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings in four Cactus League games.
It's too early to worry much about his performance, but it's a little concerning to see him struggle. The right-hander was excellent as part of a closer committee last season, logging five saves, 16 holds, a 2.88 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 72:27 K:BB in 64 appearances. He only allowed 0.8 HR/9 while flexing a 96.6 mph average on his fastball. Staumont enters the season in the mix for high-leverage innings again, though Scott Barlow is expected to get the majority of the save chances at the start of 2022.
