Royals' Luinder Avila: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Avila was reassigned to minor-league camp by the Royals on Sunday.
Avila made three appearances out of the bullpen during spring training, tossing six innings of one-run ball while allowing five hits and two walks and striking out seven batters. The 23-year-old ended the 2024 campaign with Triple-A Omaha, and he'll likely be back in Omaha to begin the 2025 season.
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Royals' Dairon Blanco: Set to play in MiLB game
Rotowire
Blanco (Achilles) is scheduled to play three innings in a minor-league game Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Blanco has been out of action since Feb. 24 due to right Achilles tendinitis, but he appears to be close to full health. Assuming he makes it through Sunday's contest without any setbacks, Blanco could make his return to the Cactus League lineup within the next few days. The 31-year-old is vying for a backup outfield spot on the Royals' Opening Day roster.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Live BP on tap
Rotowire
Estevez (back) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday before potentially making his Cactus League debut Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The veteran right-hander has been brought along slowly during the first half of camp due to lower-back tightness, but he's now ramping up his throwing program and is on the cusp of game action. Assuming everything goes well this week, Estevez should be able to make a few spring appearances and be ready for Opening Day. After recording 57 saves over the prior two seasons between the Angels and Phillies, Estevez is expected to begin the season as the Royals' closer.
Wright (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wright continues to recover from a procedure in October of 2023 to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder. He suffered a minor setback in February when he sustained a mild hamstring strain, but he was able to get back on the mound Saturday. Wright showed a glimpse of his potential in 2022 with Atlanta, when he went 21-5 over 30 regular-season starts while posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 174:53 K:BB across 180.1 innings to finish 10th in the National League Cy Young vote.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Looks sharp this spring
Rotowire
Zerpa threw a scoreless inning in Friday's spring training win over the Angels. He's thrown four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks this spring.
Zerpa became a high-leverage weapon last season thanks to a sinker with high velocity (it reached 99 mph last year, according to MLB.com) that helped lead to a 58.4% groundball rate. He'll be a key lefty in the late innings and could be a good source of holds (12 last season).
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Royals' Seth Lugo: Getting into regular-season form
Rotowire
Lugo gave up one run in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks in Friday's spring start. He has a 8.22 ERA with a 9:3 K:BB ratio over 7.2 innings this spring.
Lugo improved after giving up three runs in each of his first three spring starts as his five strikeouts showed he's nearly in regular-season form. However, spring stats hardly matter for the veteran who is locked in as the No. 2 starter for the Royals. Lugo won 16 games with a 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 starts last season. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 punchouts.
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Royals' Javier Vaz: Suffers fractured fingers
Rotowire
Vaz fractured two fingers in his right hand while fielding a ball Friday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The Royals reassigned Vaz to minor-league camp Saturday to begin his rehab, though it will be a few weeks before he's able to throw a ball again. The 24-year-old infielder has slashed .267/.374/.381 across 646 plate appearances since reaching Double-A in 2023, and he could make a push for Triple-A once his fingers recover.
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Royals' Salvador Perez: Rejoining lineup Friday
Rotowire
Perez (eye) is starting behind the plate and batting cleanup in Friday's Cactus League game against the Angels.
The veteran catcher departed Wednesday's spring game due to a laceration under his left eye but will return to action after sitting out just one game. After posting a .786 OPS with 27 homers during the regular season last year, Perez has gone just 2-for-11 through five Cactus League games.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Punches out six Thursday
Rotowire
Ragans allowed one hit and struck out six over three scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League win over the Cubs. He did not issue a walk.
The lefty was able to exact a measure of revenge against a Cubs team that rocked him for seven runs over 2.1 innings back on March 1. Ragans noted after the game he was hitting his spots and keeping hitters off balance Thursday after execution was an issue his last time out, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Ragans, the presumptive Opening Day starter for Kansas City, also mentioned that his goal this year is to be unpredictable to lefties to combat his rather surprising reverse splits from a season ago.
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Royals' Sam Long: Throws despite sore hand
Rotowire
Long, who was hit by a line drive in his left hand during Monday's spring game, threw a bullpen session Thursday despite some swelling, MLB.com reports.
Long had test results that showed he didn't suffer any broken bones after he reached to grab a liner and it deflected off his pitching hand. It's possible his next appearance this spring gets delayed, however, so he could fall behind for being ready for Opening Day.
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Royals' Nick Loftin: Exits with illness
Rotowire
Loftin exited Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cubs with an illness.
Loftin returned to the lineup Thursday after missing the previous four days with a wrist issue. He went 0-for-2 at the plate before leaving the game and is now 6-for-13 this spring. Loftin is competing for a utility role after appearing in 57 regular-season games for the Royals last season.
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Royals' Carlos Estevez: Progressing in bullpen sessions
Rotowire
Estevez (back) said he threw his "best bullpen" yet in Thursday's session and is scheduled for another Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Estevez has been dealing with mild lower-back tightness, which has prevented him from making a spring training appearance. The expected primary closer for the Royals still has some work to do before he can take the mound in a live game.
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Royals' Salvador Perez: Is 'all good' with eye
Rotowire
Perez has bruising under his left eye Thursday, but he said that he is "all good," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Perez was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League game versus Seattle due to a laceration. According to the catcher, he will still practice Thursday and play in Friday's spring training game against the Angels.
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Royals' Alec Marsh: Slated to face hitters
Rotowire
Marsh (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Sunday will be the first time Marsh has gone up against a live opponent since arriving at camp with tightness in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old has been able to throw multiple bullpen sessions with no issues, so if his shoulder holds up after a few rounds of live BP, he may be cleared to appear in games before the end of spring training.
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Royals' Nick Loftin: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Loftin (wrist) will start at third base and bat fourth in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.
Loftin was a late scratch from the lineup prior to Sunday's contest due to wrist soreness, but he appears to be feeling better after a few days of rest. The 26-year-old has fared well in his pursuit of an Opening Day roster spot, going 6-for-11 with three RBI and two runs scored across six spring games.
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Royals' Alec Marsh: Throws bullpen session
Rotowire
Marsh (shoulder) recently threw a bullpen session and said he felt great, the Kansas City Star reports.
Marsh first experienced tightness in his right shoulder during his offseason throwing program and has been eased into spring training action. He's thrown several bullpen sessions in the past week, but it's not clear when he'll appear in a spring training game. Marsh made 25 regular-season starts for the Royals last season, producing a 9-9 record with a 4.53 ERA and 123:39 K:BB ratio over 129 innings.
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Royals' Salvador Perez: Exits with injury
Rotowire
Perez was removed from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners due to a laceration under his left eye.
Not much is known regarding the severity of Perez's injury, but the Royals are going to continue monitoring his eye, and there's a good chance he'll be held out of action for a game or two. In the meantime, Freddy Fermin and Luke Maile should get more looks behind the dish.
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Royals' Nick Loftin: Battling wrist issue
Rotowire
Loftin was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Padres due to right wrist soreness.
Loftin was penciled to bat fifth as the designated hitter but will instead sit out at least one game due to the wrist injury. The 26-year-old is competing for a utility role in spring training after he posted a .518 OPS in 57 regular-season games last year.
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Royals' Drew Waters: In mix for backup role
Rotowire
Waters is in the mix for an outfield bench role along with Nick Pratto, Dairon Blanco (Achilles) and Joey Wiemer, MLB.com reports. He's hitting .167 (2-for-12) this spring.
Blanco is likely the favorite but he's been sidelined this spring with an Achilles injury. The Royals could also decide to keep an extra infielder who can play outfield if needed. Waters hit .293 with 13 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a .877 OPS at Triple-A last season. However, he's never been able to translate his intriguing power-speed mix to success in the majors. As a switch hitter and plus fielder, Waters could be the best bench option if Blanco is out.
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Royals' Nick Pratto: Battling for bench role
Rotowire
Pratto is working in the outfield this spring in an effort to win a utility role, MLB.com reports. He's competing with Dairon Blanco, Joey Wiemer and Drew Waters for a bench spot.
Pratto hit just .240 with 16 home runs and a .728 OPS at Triple-A last season but still has significant power, as he hit 36 homers in the minors in 2021. He's likely a long shot to win a roster spot, though he is out of options. He's hitting just 1-for-10 in his first five spring games.
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