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Royals’ Foster Griffin Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Royals left-hander Foster Griffin revealed in a tweet tonight that he underwent Tommy John surgery last Tuesday in Los Angeles, with Dr. Neal ElAttrache performing the procedure.  As such, Griffin will be out of action for the next 12-14 months, quite possibly sidelining him until the 2022 season.

Griffin suffered a tear in his UCL during his very first Major League game, back on July 27 in Kansas City’s 14-6 win over the Tigers.  Griffin earned the win after tossing 1 2/3 innings of relief, retiring all five batters without a hit or a walk, and was perfect apart from one runner reaching via error.  Adding to the bittersweet nature of Griffin’s debut and subsequent injury, July 27 was also his 25th birthday.

Drafted 28th overall in 2014, Griffin was making his MLB debut after an inconsistent six-year stint in the Royals’ farm system.  The southpaw has a 4.77 ERA, 2.19 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 708 minor league innings, starting 139 of his 141 games.  Given this lack of a track record, back-end starter or long man might be his eventual ticket to remaining in the big leagues, though obviously Griffin’s first order of business will be getting healthy after a long rehab period.

Latest On Matt Harvey

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Former Mets ace Matt Harvey may not be far from a return to the major leagues, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com writes. Now with the Royals, Harvey will throw an intrasquad game Thursday, after which the club will evaluate whether it should promote him to the bigs. General manager Dayton Moore has been encouraged by what he has seen from Harvey, whom the Royals signed to a minor league contract in late July.

“He’s throwing well,” Moore said (via Flanagan). “And he’s a guy who can serve a variety of roles for us. He can be a starter, he can be a long man, he might even be able to help us in the back of the bullpen. We’ll see.”

Harvey peaked with the Mets from 2012-15, a period in which he gave the club front-line production, but the Dark Knight also missed a full season (2014) because of Tommy John surgery. While Harvey bounced back brilliantly from that procedure, he hasn’t been able to rebound from the thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in 2016. For the most part, Harvey struggled mightily with the Mets, Reds and Angels over the previous three seasons. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 7, 2019, as a member of the Angels, and he finished last season on a minors pact with the Athletics.

Although his career has fallen off a cliff, there was no real harm in taking a low-cost chance on Harvey from the rebuilding Royals’ standpoint. If he ever does don their uniform, it’ll be intriguing to see how the 31-year-old fares.

Royals Add Asa Lacy, Carlos Hernandez To Player Pool

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The Royals have added left-hander Asa Lacy and right-hander Carlos Hernandez to their 60-man player pool and assigned the pair to their alternate training site, per a club announcement.

Lacy is the bigger name of the two, having been selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2020 draft. Though he was the second pitcher taken — Miami selected University of Minnesota righty Max Meyer one pick earlier — Lacy was considered by many to be the top overall pitching prospect in the draft. The Texas A&M ace overwhelmed SEC hitters during his NCAA career, pitching to a cumulative 2.07 ERA with 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Lacy was off to a blazing start in 2020, having pitched to a 0.75 ERA with an outrageous 46-to-8 K/BB ratio in just 24 innings when the season came to a halt (17.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9).

Given his status as an elite college arm, there might be some fans who hope to see him in the big leagues as soon as 2020, although that still seems decidedly improbable. He’s a huge part of the Royals’ future and immediately became one of the organization’s top three prospects upon signing, but this is quite likely a developmental assignment for the 21-year-old. Kansas City has several prominent pitching prospects who are closer to the big leagues but have yet to receive their first promotion — most notably Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch. Top prospects Brady Singer and Kris Bubic have already debuted in 2020.

Hernandez, 23, is already on the Royals’ 40-man roster, so there’s a bit more of a chance that he’d see the big leagues this season, although that’s also a long shot. He’s never pitched above A-ball and has just 36 innings of experience at that level, although they were sharp ones. Hernandez missed a big chunk of last season while waiting on a fractured rib to mend, but once healthy he turned in a 3.50 ERA with 10.8 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 1.25 HR/9 and a 39.1 percent grounder rate in the Class-A South Atlantic League. MLB.com ranks him 12th among K.C. farmhands, noting that his velocity jumped into the upper 90s last season and also praising his potentially above-average curveball. The alternate camp assignment will give him some additional developmental time in the absence of a traditional minor league season in 2020.

Royals Place Franchy Cordero On 45-Day IL

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AUGUST 11: Cordero required a surgical procedure to repair damage to his right hamate bone, manager Mike Matheny told reporters including Alec Lewis of The Athletic (Twitter link). Young infielder Jeison Guzman will get his first crack at the majors. He was already on the 40-man roster but has now been tapped for active duty.

AUGUST 10: The Royals have placed outfielder Franchy Cordero on the 45-day injured list, per a club announcement. He is sidelined with a wrist injury.

While this won’t officially end Cordero’s season, it makes it quite unlikely he’ll return to action. He originally hit the injured list on August 9th, so he won’t be eligible to return until late September.

Soon to turn 26, the recently acquired outfielder struggled to a .154/.185/.231 slash in his first 27 plate appearances with the Royals. He’ll be eligible for arbitration over the offseason.

Orioles Claim Jorge Lopez

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The Orioles announced today that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez off waivers from the Royals. Lopez, 27, was designated for assignment by Kansas City on Friday. He’ll be added to the Baltimore 40-man roster, which is now full.

Lopez made just one appearance for the Royals this year before he was placed on the bereavement list. That preceded his departure from the Royals, who designated Lopez owing to his lack of minor-league options.

Once a highly-regarded prospect, Lopez has thus far failed to find success at the MLB level between stints with the Brewers and Royals, who acquired him as part of the return for Mike Moustakas. In 190 innings at the MLB level, Lopez has a 5.97 ERA while averaging a mediocre 7.4 K/9. Last year, he was a key part of the Royals’ staff, throwing the fifth-most innings on the team as he was deployed both as a starter and in relief.

Lopez should be a viable depth option for an Orioles pitching staff that has actually fared pretty well this year: the Orioles staff is sporting a 3.87 FIP, good for tenth-best in baseball. Granted, the ERA figures have lagged behind thus far, and it’s not a group of world-beaters, but there are some intriguing names in Baltimore. Lopez, if he gets a crack in the Majors, could serve as a starter or reliever for Brandon Hyde.

Royals Reinstate Hunter Dozier, Place Franchy Cordero On 10-Day IL

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The Royals have reinstated Hunter Dozier from the injured list, the club announced via Twitter.  Dozier will take the roster spot left open by outfielder Franchy Cordero, who is headed to the 10-day IL with a right wrist sprain.

Dozier is set to make his season debut after testing positive for COVID-19 just two days’ prior to the Royals’ first game.  He was reportedly feeling some symptoms at the time, but it is obviously good news to see him recovered and now ready to take the field.  The 28-year-old is looking to follow up a breakout 2019 season that saw him hit .279/.348/.522 with 26 homers and a league-best 10 triples over 586 plate appearances.

While the Royals’ offense has been pretty productive even with Dozier out, his return will likely represent a big upgrade on Cordero, who has hit only .154/.185/.231 over his first 27 plate appearances with the team.  He suffered his wrist injury during batting practice on Wednesday, and will now make another unwelcome trip to the IL in a career that has thus far been marked by injuries.

Elbow and quad problems limited Cordero to only 49 total games over the 2018-19 seasons, though the 25-year-old has flashed some impressive power potential when he has been able to play.  There is still lots of upside if Cordero can stay healthy, which is why Kansas City was willing to trade reliever Tim Hill to San Diego for Cordero and Ronald Bolanos back on July 16.

Royals Place Mike Montgomery On 45-Day IL

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The Royals announced that they have moved left-hander Mike Montgomery and righty Glenn Sparkman from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day version. They also reinstated righty Chance Adams from the IL and optioned him to their alternate training site.

The most notable name here is Montgomery, who began the season in the Royals’ rotation before quickly succumbing to a lat strain. The 31-year-old has made made one start this year, back on July 27, but it didn’t go well. Montgomery lasted just two innings against the Tigers then and yielded five runs (three earned) on three hits. Considering Friday’s news, it’s unknown whether Montgomery will pitch again this season.

Montgomery’s best known as one of many 2016 heroes for the Cubs, as he saved their Game 7 World Series victory over the Indians that broke a 108-year championship drought. But Montgomery fell out of favor last season in Chicago, which dealt him to Kansas City for catcher Martin Maldonado with the trade deadline approaching.

During his second stint with the Royals, who first acquired him in Round 1 of the 2008 draft, Montgomery has put up a 4.91 ERA/5.33 FIP with 7.09 K/9, 2.86 BB/9 and a 51.7 percent groundball rate over 66 innings. Montgomery’s on a a prorated $3.1MM salary this year and has another season of arbitration eligibility left if the Royals choose to retain him on the heels of an injury-limited 2020.

Royals Designate Jorge Lopez For Assignment

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The Royals announced Friday that right-hander Jorge Lopez has been designated for assignment. He’d been on the bereavement list, and because he’s out of minor league options, had to either be added back to the 28-man roster or designated for assignment. The Kansas City front office clearly didn’t feel that Lopez was among the team’s 28 best options, so he’ll now await the resolution of his DFA status. The Royals have a week to trade Lopez, release him or run him through outright waivers.

Lopez, 27, ranked among baseball’s 100 best prospects prior to the 2016 season but has never pieced things together at the game’s top level. The former second-rounder went from Milwaukee to K.C. alongside outfielder Brett Phillips in the trade that initially brought Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. Lopez, however, has logged 190 innings in the Majors between the two teams and stumbled to a 5.97 ERA with a pedestrian 157-to-70 K/BB ratio. He’s struggled quite a bit in Triple-A as well, and while the Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, a 6.31 ERA and 11 hits per nine innings pitched still doesn’t reflect well.

Lopez does average 94 mph on his sinker and generate grounders at an above-average rate, but his lack of minor league options might make it tough for another club to claim him.

Royals Outright Oscar Hernandez, Place Starling & Sparkman On IL

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The Royals have announced a series of roster moves. Backstop Oscar Hernandez was outrighted after clearing waivers.

In other moves, the team has sent outfielder Bubba Starling and righty Glenn Sparkman to the injured list. The latter is dealing with a forearm strain. To replace them, catcher Meibrys Viloria and righty Scott Blewett were called up to the active roster.

Hernandez will report to the Royals’ alternate training site. The 27-year-old has seen minimal MLB action in three of the past four seasons. He’ll remain a depth option for the club.

It’s not yet fully clear what kind of absences are anticipated from Starling and Sparkman. The former has continued to struggle at the plate with limited opportunities. The latter has allowed three earned runs on nine hits in his five innings on the season.

Royals’ Brad Keller To Make Season Debut Thursday

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Royals starter Brad Keller will make his season debut Thursday against the Cubs, manager Mike Matheny announced (via Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com). The right-hander has been behind schedule because of a positive coronavirus test.

The 25-year-old Keller is about to begin his third season as a member of the Royals, who grabbed him during the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft. While Rule 5 picks rarely turn into productive major leaguers, Keller has proved to be a steal for the Royals. He has totaled 2.0-plus fWAR in each of his two seasons in Kansas City, with which he has amassed 305 2/3 innings of 3.68 ERA/3.98 FIP pitching with 6.42 K/9, 3.53 BB/9 and a 52 percent groundball rate.

Getting Keller back won’t suddenly turn a 3-9 club into a a contender, but it should at least make KC more competitive. The Royals’ rotation hasn’t been particularly productive this year, but Danny Duffy and rookie Brady Singer have performed respectably over a combined six starts.

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