Keller allowed five hits and walked one while striking out nine over five scoreless innings in Friday's Cactus League win over the Giants.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports Keller will pitch during the Royals' first regular-season series against the Twins, so Friday was likely his last spring appearance. Keller posted a 4.95 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 20 innings across six starts in Cactus League play. He's posted an ERA north of 5.00 over the last two seasons, but he'll get a chance in the rotation again after finishing out 2022 in the bullpen.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Retools curveball
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Keller worked on adjusting his curveball during the offseason, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Keller is competing for a rotation spot this spring. He's needed to make some improvements after posting ERAs of 5.39 and 5.09 over the last two seasons. He ended 2022 in a relief role, and the competition from veterans and prospects alike makes a return to a starting role challenging. Keller hasn't often used a curveball before, but adding one to his repertoire could give him a new look to test hitters as he tries to produce a bounce-back campaign.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Avoids arbitration
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Keller signed a one-year, $5.775 million contract with the Royals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Keller is coming off back-to-back dreadful seasons, even getting demoted to the bullpen at one point in 2022. The Royals will hope he can bounce back in his walk year and perhaps boost his value enough that they can flip him for a prospect at the trade deadline.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Takes loss Saturday
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Keller (6-14) took the loss Saturday versus the Mariners, allowing a run on four hits and two walks over 1.1 innings.
Keller got a double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning, but the Mariners posted three straight one-out hits in the ninth to scrape together the go-ahead run. The Royals couldn't bail Keller out, sending him to his first loss as a reliever in 11 appearances. He's pitched to a 6.46 ERA, 2.09 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB while adding a save and a hold in 15.1 innings out of the bullpen, and he's unlikely to see enough high-leverage chances to make an impact in fantasy.
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Royals' Brad Keller: First career save
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Keller struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Twins.
Keller entered the game with a three-run lead and didn't allow a ball out of the infield to record his first career save. Scott Barlow was likely unavailable after pitching both Tuesday and Wednesday, which gave Keller the spare opportunity. Since shifting to the bullpen Aug. 17, Keller has a disastrous 6.43 ERA with a 15:8 K:BB across 14 frames.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Moving to bullpen
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Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that Keller will move to the bullpen, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Keller has served exclusively as a starter in the majors over the last four seasons but has struggled since the All-Star break in 2022. Over his five starts to begin the second half, he's posted an 8.76 ERA and 2.07 WHIP in 24.2 innings. He had lined up to start Thursday's road matchup against the Rays, and the Royals haven't announced who will take his place in the rotation. However, Keller will attempt to sort things out as a relief option.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Shelled by Dodgers
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Keller (6-13) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out three batters over three innings.
Mookie Betts led off the game by tagging Keller for a homer, and that proved to be an omen of things to come. The right-hander gave up four more runs in the frame and served up an additional long ball in each of the second and third innings before mercifully being replaced. By the time he departed, Keller had given up eight runs -- the second time in his past three starts that he's surrendered that amount. He's lost four of his past five outings, posting an 8.76 ERA and 2.07 WHIP across 24.2 innings during that stretch.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Halts losing streak
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Keller (6-12) allowed one run on four hits and three walks over six innings Sunday, striking out four and earning a win over Boston.
Keller didn't face much of a threat through five shutout frames before Rafael Devers tagged him with a solo shot in the sixth. It was his first win since July 11 after allowing 16 runs (15 earned) over his previous three starts. The 27-year-old righty lowered his season ERA to 4.45 with an 80:44 K:BB through 119.1 frames. Keller is lined up for a tough matchup against the Dodgers at home next week.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Awful in loss
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Keller (5-12) allowed eight runs on 13 hits an a walk with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings, taking the loss Tuesday versus the White Sox.
Keller threw 70 of 94 pitches for strikes, but he didn't have enough stuff to deceive the White Sox's hitters. By just about any metric, this was the right-hander's worst start of the year, and also his third straight loss. His ERA ballooned from 4.18 to 4.63, and he's added a 1.38 WHIP and 76:41 K:BB across 113.1 innings in 20 starts this year. Keller will look to get back on track in a projected home start versus the Red Sox this weekend.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Start pushed back to Tuesday
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Keller's next scheduled start will come Tuesday against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Keller was lined up to start Monday night, but the Royals decided to go with Daniel Lynch instead and push Keller back a day.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Stuck with loss in quality start
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Keller (5-11) took the loss Wednesday as the Royals were downed 4-0 by the Angels, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over six-plus innings. He struck out five.
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning, when Los Angeles cashed two runs, and Keller stuck around until the top of the seventh when he got the hook after serving up a leadoff triple to Brandon Marsh. The right-hander tossed 56 of 90 pitches for strikes as he issued at least three walks for the third time in his last four outings. Keller still came away with his 10th quality start of the season, and he sports a 4.18 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 73:40 K:BB through 107.2 innings.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Walks five in 10th loss
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Keller (5-10) gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits and five walks while striking out one over four innings to take the loss in 7-3 defeat to the Rays on Friday.
It was a bizarre night for Keller, who was bothered by liquid draining from his nose. Beginning in the fourth inning, he pitched with a thick roll of gauze hanging from his left nostril and struggled with his control. Keller issued two free passes in the frame before Yandy Diaz made Keller pay for his lack of control by hitting a bases-clearing three-RBI double. The 26-year-old right-hander carries an undesirable 68:37 K:BB into his next expected start against the Angels next week.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Back from restricted list
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The Royals reinstated Keller (personal) from the restricted list Monday.
Keller was one of 10 Royals players who will rejoin the 26-man active roster after being ineligible to play during the four-game weekend series in Toronto due his vaccination status. He had been in line to start a game against the Blue Jays, but his move to the restricted list prompted Kansas City to call up Angel Zerpa from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to make a spot start Thursday. The 26-year-old right-hander closed the Royals' first-half schedule with a 5-9 record, 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB across 97.2 innings over his 17 starts.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Heads to restricted list
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The Royals placed Keller (personal) on the restricted list Thursday.
Keller is one of 10 Royals on the 26-man active roster who won't be eligible for the four-game series in Toronto due to his vaccination status. He'll be formally reinstated from the restricted list for the Royals' first game coming out of the All-Star break July 22 against Tampa Bay. Left-hander Angel Zerpa was called up from Double-A Northwest Arkansas as a replacement pitcher, and he could be an option to start one of the final two games of the series in Toronto if he isn't used out of the bullpen the next two days.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Can't pitch in Toronto
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Keller is unable to travel with the Royals to Canada for the four-game series against the Blue Jays due to his vaccination status, so he'll be placed on the restricted list Thursday ahead of the series opener, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Keller lined up to make one final start before the All-Star break this weekend, but he won't be able to join the team in Toronto. The 27-year-old finished the first half with a 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 67:32 K:BB across 97.2 innings, and he should take the mound in one of Kansas City's first couple games out of the break.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Fans eight in victory
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Keller (5-9) allowed one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader. He struck out eight and earned a win over the Tigers.
Keller dominated through five shutout frames before Riley Greene scored on a wild pitch in the sixth. He's now 4-1 with an impressive 2.15 ERA over his last five starts. The 26-year-old righty lowered his season ERA to 4.15 with a 67:32 K:BB through 97.2 frames. Keller is lined up to take the mound in Toronto this weekend.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Notches fourth win
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Keller (4-9) earned the win over Houston on Wednesday, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three batters.
Keller struggled a bit with his control in the contest -- he threw only 60 of 105 pitches for strikes and tied a season high with three walks -- but he was able to take advantage of an early outburst by the Royals' offense to collect the win. The right-hander limited Houston to five hits, though three of those went for extra bases, including a sixth-inning solo homer by Aledmys Diaz that spelled the end of Keller's outing. The 26-year-old hurler has been inconsistent throughout the campaign, but he's won three of his past four starts after starting the season with a 1-8 mark through his first 11 outings.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Tosses six shutout frames
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Keller (3-9) allowed five hits and two walk over six scoreless innings Friday, striking out five and earning a win over the Tigers.
Keller sprinkled singles and walks throughout his six innings of work and never faced much of a threat from Detroit's lineup. He hasn't allowed a run in two of his last three starts, but he's still registered a 4.75 ERA since the start of June. On the year, Keller is sporting a 4.24 ERA with a 56:28 K:BB through 15 starts. The 26-year-old is lined up to start in Houston next week.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Allows five runs in loss
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Keller (2-9) took the loss to the Athletics on Saturday, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking two across 3.2 innings.
Keller struggled to keep the Athletics off the board Saturday, allowing five runs, four of which were earned. It was a stark difference from Keller's previous outing, also against Oakland, when he allowed no runs on only one hit. The righty was inefficient Saturday, throwing 55 of 93 pitches for strikes over 3.2 innings. The outing raised his ERA to 4.56.
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Royals' Brad Keller: Shuts out opponent in win
Rotowire
Keller (2-8) earned a seven-inning win Saturday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out six and walking three.
Keller was lights out Saturday, allowing only one hit across seven frames. He threw 57 of 97 pitches for strikes and picked up a season-high six strikeouts in the game. It was the righty's second win of the year and his first since May 3, which was also a shutout. Keller will take a 4.30 ERA into his next outing.
