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Royals Recall Kris Bubic, Option Ronald Bolanos

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The Royals recalled Kris Bubic to start today’s ballgame and optioned Ronald Bolanos to Triple-A, per the Athletic’s Alex Lewis (via Twitter).

Bubic, 24, got off to a disastrous start this season with a 12.83 ERA over five starts and one relief appearance totaling 13 1/3 innings. He fared little better over three starts in Triple-A, surrendering 10 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. His peripheral numbers did improve, however, with a 4-to-17 walk-to-strikeout ratio after posting a 11-to-10 such mark in the bigs.

Bolanos, 25, has made eight appearances out of the bullpen this year while serving as a bulk reliever. He has a 4.42 ERA/5.71 FIP over 18 1/3 innings of work with 12 strikeouts and 12 walks in that time. Bolanos has primarily served as a starter while in the minors.

Royals Option Carlos Hernandez, Select Foster Griffin

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The Royals announced they’ve optioned Carlos Hernández to Triple-A Omaha and placed reliever Ronald Bolaños on the injured list. Kansas City selected left-hander Foster Griffin onto the big league club and recalled righty Matt Peacock. Infielder Adalberto Mondesi has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL as well.

Hernández becomes the second member of the season-opening rotation to pitch his way off the active roster. Kansas City also optioned Kris Bubic last week, with both hurlers struggling mightily in the early going. Hernández has taken seven turns through the rotation but logged a 9.10 ERA over 29 2/3 innings. He has struck out just 10.7% of batters faced while walking an untenable 13.4% of opponents, making him one of just two starters (minimum 20 innings) with more walks than strikeouts.

Needless to say, that kind of performance isn’t one the Royals can accept every fifth day. The 25-year-old righty posted a 3.68 ERA over 85 2/3 frames last season. His 2021 strikeout and walk numbers weren’t great, but they were far superior to this season’s early marks. Hernández also averaged north of 97 MPH with his fastball last season, but his velocity has taken a slight hit this year. He’ll try to right the ship with the Storm Chasers and earn his way back to the big leagues.

In large part due to Bubic’s and Hernández’s struggles, Kansas City has had one of the least effective rotations in the majors. Royals starters rank 26th with a 4.78 ERA and last with a 5.7 percentage point differential between their strikeout and walk rates. Zack Greinke, Brad Keller and Daniel Lynch have spots locked down, while Jonathan Heasley was recently brought up in Bubic’s stead. Who’ll replace Hernández is to be determined, but former first-round pick Brady Singer has been stretching out as a starter in Omaha after opening the season in the MLB bullpen.

Griffin, meanwhile, will join the bullpen mix for manager Mike Matheny. The former first-round pick made the briefest of big league debuts, appearing in one game for Kansas City in 2020. The Royals outrighted him off their 40-man roster following that season, but he quickly re-signed on a minor league pact. A starting pitcher early in his career, he’s come out of the bullpen 13 times with the Storm Chasers this year.

Over 19 2/3 innings, Griffin has posted a 1.83 ERA. He’s backed that up with excellent peripherals, fanning nearly three in every ten batters while inducing grounders on over 58% of batted balls. Griffin has always had solid control and gotten a fair share of worm-burners, but this season’s early strikeout rate is a marked improvement over his prior results. He has all three minor league option years remaining, so the Royals can bounce him between K.C. and Omaha without exposing him to waivers now that he’s back on the 40-man roster.

Mondesi’s IL transfer was an inevitability. The speedy infielder unfortunately suffered a torn ACL last month and isn’t expected to return this season. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for a final time this winter.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/13/21

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Some minor moves from around the league that were announced Monday…

  • The Royals announced this morning that they’ve reinstated right-hander Ronald Bolanos from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. Kansas City had a pair of open spots on the 40-man roster already, so a corresponding transaction was not required. A forearm strain has limited Bolanos, who turned 25 last month, to just 40 1/3 innings between the big leagues and the minors combined in 2021. He came to the Royals alongside Franchy Cordero in the 2020 trade that sent left-hander Tim Hill to the Padres but hasn’t yet gotten much of a look. Bolanos served up 17 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings on a minor league rehab assignment, so it’s not too surprising that the Royals want him to get some more work in the minors. Bolanos still has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season.
  • Right-hander Sal Romano went unclaimed on waivers after he was designated for assignment, the Yankees announced Monday. He’s been sent outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is no longer on the 40-man roster. The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Yanks back in May and has been added to the big league roster and removed thrice now. He’s pitched in three games and totaled three innings with one run allowed on five hits, a walk and four strikeouts. Romano has logged a 3.56 ERA in 30 1/3 innings with the team’s Triple-A affiliate as well. He hasn’t had much big league success since his rookie season back in 2017 (4.45 ERA in 87 innings/16 starts with Cincinnati), but he’s been a solid depth add for the Yankees thus far.

Royals Select Anthony Swarzak

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The Royals announced they’ve selected the contract of reliever Anthony Swarzak. Righty Ronald Bolaños was transferred to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space.

Swarzak, 35, pitched in six games earlier this year with the Diamondbacks. He allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings, striking out four while walking just one. Arizona cut Swarzak loose at the end of April, and he latched on with the Royals not long thereafter on a minor league deal. He got off to a fantastic start with Triple-A Omaha, punching out 14 of 33 batters faced (42.4%) while not issuing a walk. He allowed three runs (two earned) in 9 1/3 frames as a Storm Chaser before earning his way back to the big leagues.

Bolaños went on the IL earlier this week with a forearm strain. It’s not yet clear if that’ll require surgical repair, but he’s now out until at least mid-August. The 24-year-old was off to a strong start to the year, striking out ten while issuing just a pair of walks over 6 1/3 relief innings.

Injury Notes: deGrom, Mondesi, Kim, Rendon, Davidson, Means

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It’s the Year of the Injury, and this post will house many of the evening’s updates on that front.

  • Let’s start off with some good news for everyone except the Cubs: Mets ace Jacob deGrom is set to start tomorrow night.  DeGrom left his start Friday due to right flexor tendinitis, but the MRI came back clean.
  • Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi was reinstated from the IL, with reliever Ronald Bolanos going on it.  Mondesi, who strained his hamstring on May 31st, is active but not in tonight’s lineup.
  • Cardinals lefty Kwang Hyun Kim is also off the IL, and is starting tonight against the Marlins.  Kim had a brief IL stint for lower back soreness.
  • Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters the injured list has been ruled out for third baseman Anthony Rendon, who’s recovering from a mild triceps strain.  Rendon has struggled at the plate this year, with a 90 wRC+ in 191 plate appearances.  By measure of OPS, his .679 mark is the worst single-season 45-game slump of Rendon’s career since his 2013 rookie season.
  • Luis Severino’s rehab start injury Saturday was described as a Grade 2 groin strain by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.  This will set him back about a month, leading to a possible late July/early August return.
  • Braves southpaw Tucker Davidson left tonight’s start after 53 pitches with left forearm tightness, according to the team.  Davidson entered the night unscored-upon in his last 11 2/3 innings, spanning a pair of starts.
  • Orioles ace John Means, pulled from a June 5th start in the first inning, began playing catch for the first time since the injury according to MLB.com’s Joe Trezza.  Means may be able to return by month’s end.  With a 2.28 ERA and a no-hitter on the season, the lefty seems a lock for the All-Star Game.

Royals Reinstate Jakob Junis, Cam Gallagher From Injured List; Designate Oscar Hernandez

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The Royals have activated right-hander Jakob Junis and catcher Cam Gallagher from the injured list, as per the team’s official Twitter account.  To create roster space, catcher Oscar Hernandez was designated for assignment and righty Ronald Bolanos was optioned to the club’s alternate training site.

Junis is slated to start Kansas City’s game against the White Sox this afternoon, while Gallagher is behind the plate.  Both Junis and Gallagher are making their first appearances of the season after receiving positive COVID-19 diagnoses during Summer Camp, which set back their preseason preparations.

The 27-year-old Junis has been a reliable eater of innings since becoming a full-time member of the Royals’ rotation, though his overall performance has been inconsistent.  Junis has a 4.80 ERA, 3.25 K/BB rate, and 8.4 K/9 over 352 1/3 innings since the start of the 2018 season, with a 4.37 ERA in 2018 and a 5.24 number last year.  Despite that notable gap in ERA totals, there wasn’t much different in Junis’ peripheral stats between the two seasons.

Gallagher will assume his regular role as Salvador Perez’s backup.  Gallagher has hit .230/.297/.352 over 238 plate appearances in his three seasons in Kansas City, with 142 of those PA coming in 2019 when Gallagher received more playing time due to an unusually unsettled catching situation — Perez missed the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and interim starter Martin Maldonado was traded in July.

Hernandez appeared in four games for the Royals this season, which marked his first MLB action since he played in another four games for the Diamondbacks in 2016.  All told, Hernandez has 26 big league games on his resume during an 11-year pro career that has seen him clock 549 games (and a .246/.323/.417 slash line in 2140 PA) in the minor leagues with the Rays, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox organizations.

Royals Acquire Franchy Cordero, Ronald Bolanos From Padres For Tim Hill

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In a surprising preseason swap, the Royals have acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero and right-hander Ronald Bolanos from the Padres for left-handed reliever Tim Hill. Both teams have announced the trade. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the news. To make room for Cordero and Bolanos on their 40-man roster, the Royals will place infielder Kelvin Gutierrez on the 45-day injured list because of a sprained UCL, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com tweets.

In Cordero, the Royals are getting a power-hitting 25-year-old who was once a fairly touted Padres prospect. Cordero debuted in the majors in 2017, but various injuries have largely prevented him from making an impact in the league. He played in only nine games and totaled just 20 plate appearances last season.

Despite the health issues Cordero has dealt with, there’s plenty to be intrigued about from the rebuilding Royals’ point of view. He carries a lifetime .925 OPS in Triple-A 517 plate appearances, for one. Furthermore, as MLBTR’s George Miller explained in May, Cordero has shown off impressive speed and hard-hitting ability during his limited time in the majors. There are flaws, including Cordero’s penchant for striking out (he has done so 38.8 percent of the time in the majors), but he could prove to be a wise long-term investment for the Royals. As things stand, he’s not on track to reach arbitration until after this year or free agency until the end of the 2023 campaign.

Cordero also has a pair of minor league options remaining, but he may have a chance to play a prominent role in Kansas City’s outfield this season.

Bolanos could also get an opportunity to prove himself in KC as early as this season. He’s only 23, but Bolanos did make his debut in San Diego last year with 19 2/3 innings of 5.95 ERA ball and 8.69 K/9 against 5.49 BB/9. While those numbers aren’t impressive, and Bolanos hasn’t dominated in the minors (4.38 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 324 2/3 innings) since signing for $2.25MM out of Cuba in 2016, he’s still regarded as a promising prospect. Baseball America ranked Bolanos as the 13th-best farmhand in the Padres’ deep system, noting he could at least turn into a power reliever in the majors.

The losses of Cordero and Bolanos could sting the Padres if they realize their potential, but this deal’s an attempt for the long-suffering team to draw closer to contention in the near term. Hill’s the oldest player in the deal at 30 years of age, but he’s also the most proven major leaguer of the trio, and there’s plenty of long-term control (Hill won’t be eligible for arbitration until after 2021).

Hill debuted in 2018 and has since notched a 4.11 ERA with 8.54 K/9, 2.85 BB/9 and an excellent 59.8 percent groundball rate across 85 1/3 innings, though the sidearmer has been much more vulnerable against right-handed hitters (.326 weighted on-base average) than lefties (.239). That’s notable with the league implementing a three-batter minimum rule this season.

The Padres are hopeful Hill’s acquisition will help make up for the absence of injured lefty Jose Castillo, according to general manager A.J. Preller (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). It’ll also further deepen a bullpen that was already set to feature the likes of Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, Emilio Pagan and Craig Stammen in late-game situations.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Padres Select Ronald Bolanos

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The Padres announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Ronald Bolanos from Double-A Amarillo. Southpaw Jose Castillo was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Bolanos, who turned 23 just 10 days ago, was a fairly high-profile signing by the Padres, securing a bonus worth a bit more than $2MM when he left his native Cuba. Listed at 6’3″ and 220 pounds, Bolanos is generally regarded as one of the more promising arms in a loaded San Diego farm system. MLB.com tabs him 15th among Friars farmhands, and he’s listed at No. 17 on Baseball America’s midseason update and No. 39 over at Fangraphs.

Bolanos opened the season in Class-A Advanced and posted a 2.85 ERA through 10 starts before jumping to Double-A. His 4.23 ERA there isn’t as impressive, but Bolanos has upped his strikeout rate, improved his walk rate and maintained his strong 47.7 percent grounder rate since moving up to face more advanced competition. He’s still relatively young for the Double-A level and will face considerably more experienced pitching in making his big league debut.

The Padres have kept Bolanos in a starter’s role throughout the bulk of his minor league career, though scouting reports note that there’s a definite chance he ends up in the ’pen. He draws praise for a clean delivery and a fastball that sits 93 mph while occasionally touching 96-97mph. His slider, curveball and changeup are less polished offerings, and the development of those offerings will likely determine whether his future is in the San Diego rotation or bullpen. For now, he’ll get his first experience at the MLB level in hopes of convincing the club that he can be a part of the staff early in the 2020 campaign.

International Notes/Signings: Gutierrez, Padres, Cardinals

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Cuban right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez, who rated No. 3 on MLB.com’s rankings of international prospects, is still weighing multiple options, tweets MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. Gutierrez has reportedly bounced around to multiple agencies and had a lengthy stay on the free agent market (he was declared a free agent last July) and may now pitch in Japan or wait until next year’s international signing period to strike a deal. That seems like an awfully lengthy wait for a pitcher who has drawn some pretty solid reviews in the past and as recently as March was said to have re-established himself as a prospect after briefly seeing his stuff take a step backward. Gutierrez is 20 years of age, so he’s subject to international spending limitations for now, although if he does wait until next year to sign, the international free agency process could look markedly different, as it’ll be discussed at length in the upcoming wave of collective bargaining negotiations.

That said, there are also a pair of international signings that merit mention…

  • The Padres have signed Cuban righty Ronald Bolanos for a bonus that will be worth a bit more than $2MM, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Badler notes that Bolanos, 20, played mostly as an outfielder in the 18U leagues in Cuba but converted to the mound in 2014 and has seen a substantial uptick in velocity as he’s filled out, with his heater now ranging from 90 to 96 mph. Badler praises his slider as a potentially above-average pitch and gives a less flattering review of Bolanos curveball, adding that the right-hander won’t pitch for the Padres this season but could open with one of San Diego’s Class-A affiliates in 2017. For those keeping score at home, the Padres’ total international expenditures (including the 100 percent overage tax with which they’re being hit on each of these signings) is now in the range of $65MM (as the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Dennis Lin points out, on Twitter).
  • Lost a bit amid last week’s trade deadline chaos was the fact that the Cardinals signed Cuban shortstop/outfielder Randy Arozarena for a bonus of $1.25MM, as Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald first reported (Twitter link). Following the signing, Badler wrote about the 21-year-old’s plus speed and plate discipline, noting that he could eventually develop enough pop for 10 to 15 homers but figures to derive more value from his OBP than his power. He’s advanced enough to jump right into the mix at Class-A Advanced, in Badler’s estimation. Sanchez’s rankings listed Arozarena as the No. 16 prospect on this year’s international market.

Pitcher Ronald Bolanos Leaves Cuba

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Cuban hurler Ronald Bolanos, a 19-year-old righty, has left the island nation and has his sights set on joining a MLB organization, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports. Bolanos has also spent time in the outfield, but looks like a better prospect on the hill.

According to Badler, Bolanos fell just outside the top-twenty Cuban prospect list that he just compiled. He works in the 88 to 93 mph range with his fastball, and has a promising slider as well. The youngster lacks polish and has mostly worked in a relief capacity, but remains a fairly interesting arm.

As Badler explains, Bolanos is young and inexperienced enough that he’ll ultimately be subject to international signing bonus limits. He’s a ways away from the market: in addition to all the regular barriers he’ll have to clear, Bolanos will not be eligible to register until the signing period that begins on July 2, 2016.

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