SURPRISE, Ariz. ¨C Royals manager Matt Quatraro informed lefty Daniel Lynch IV that he made the Opening Day bullpen on Saturday, finalizing the final open spot on the 13-man pitching staff the Royals expect to break camp with ahead of Opening Day next week.
Rotation: LHP Cole Ragans, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Michael Wacha, LHP Kris Bubic, RHP Michael Lorenzen
Bullpen: RHPs Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey, John Schreiber, Chris Stratton; LHPs Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch IV
Right-handers Kyle Wright (right hamstring strain), Alec Marsh (right shoulder soreness) and James McArthur (right elbow) are all expected to begin the year on the injured list.
Lynch and Bubic were in competition for the final rotation spot, but the answer became clearer when the Royals had Lynch pitch out of the bullpen this week to get him ready for that kind of role. The 28-year-old pitched in relief to finish the season last year and didn¡¯t allow a run in 20 2/3 innings (11 games), with 24 strikeouts and six walks.
¡°I felt like I was going to have to come in and have a really good camp, and I felt like I did,¡± Lynch said. ¡°Everything that I went through last year, the ups and downs, still fighting and keeping a good attitude contributed a lot. ¡ I¡¯m grateful for that opportunity late in the season, contributing to a postseason push, and grateful for the opportunity to do it in the bullpen.¡±
Lynch forced his way into the Opening Day conversation with his performance this spring; building up as a starter, he posted a 3.21 ERA with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 14 innings. He allowed six runs in his two appearances out of the bullpen this week, but struck out five in those two innings and still didn¡¯t walk a batter.
¡°A lot of it is his intent,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°The way he approached the spring business-like, putting the work in during the offseason, coming here in great shape, and really just attacking the zone, keeping hitters on their heels, that¡¯s been one of the biggest differences I¡¯ve seen.¡±
Bubic joins the rotation a season after he stepped up big in a high-leverage relief role, posting a 2.67 ERA across 30 1/3 innings in 2024 in his first year back following Tommy John surgery.
¡°It¡¯s cool now to get back to doing something I was doing before,¡± Bubic said. ¡°Coming into camp, I just wanted to pitch healthy because it¡¯s been two springs. However it played out, I was going to be good with it. But it¡¯s a pretty cool opportunity, and I just want to take it and run with it.¡±
The Royals haven¡¯t set their rotation schedule behind Ragans as the Opening Day starter, but the spring schedule over the past week is likely how the Royals will open the season: Lugo next Saturday against the Guardians, Wacha for the series finale, Bubic to start against the Brewers on March 31 and Lorenzen to follow on April 1. There are off days that could change that schedule, but it¡¯s likely the Royals want to avoid having Ragans and Bubic, two lefties, pitch on back-to-back days.
Lynch¡¯s addition to the bullpen means the removal of righty Carlos Hern¨¢ndez, who is out of Minor League options and now has to be removed from the 40-man roster by being put on outright waivers. Another team can and likely will claim him, although he will have to be on that 26-man roster because he will still have zero options remaining. If he isn¡¯t claimed, he¡¯ll stay with the Royals and go to Triple-A Omaha.
Hern¨¢ndez, 28, has been inconsistent in the Majors. He¡¯s a young pitcher who throws 100 mph with elite swing and miss stuff ¨C qualities any team would want in a ¡®pen ¨C and the Royals have given him opportunities to establish himself. But he has a career 11.2% walk rate and allowed eight runs in 10 1/3 innings this spring, with eight strikeouts and five walks.
¡°Very tough,¡± Quatraro said of the decision to leave Hern¨¢ndez off. ¡°Carlos has had his whole career here. There¡¯s a lot of people who feel highly about him as a person and a player. We¡¯ve said all along, we want tough decisions, and this is another one of those.¡±
The Royals still have pitchers Ross Stripling and Taylor Clarke in camp on Minor League deals. Stripling will likely explore other opportunities because the Royals won¡¯t add him to the roster (barring injuries), while Clarke could begin the season in Triple-A Omaha. His first opt-out clause is April 1.