Royals Dealt Tough Blow As Reliever With Perfect ERA Hits 15-Day Injured List
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Bullpen attrition is going to happen throughout the course of a Major League Baseball season. It's just the unfortunate truth.
Right-hander Hunter Harvey was off to a fantastic start to the season, establishing himself as one of the most reliable arms in the Kansas City Royals' bullpen. But after his most recent outing on Monday, it appears Harvey's shoulder is going to require some maintenance.
The Royals' official team account on X announced Friday that Harvey was being placed on the 15-day injured list with a right teres major strain, retroactive to Apr. 8. In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher Steven Cruz was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.
According to MLB.com's Anne Rogers, Harvey felt the issue as he was warming up on Thursday. Manager Matt Quatraro says the righty is staying in Kansas City while the team travels to Cleveland this weekend and is being re-evaluated next week.
Kansas City paid a steep price to land Harvey at the trade deadline last season, sending top third base prospect Cayden Wallace and a 2024 draft pick to the Washington Nationals, and it looked like he was finally living up to that billing.
In six games this season, Harvey had thrown 5 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit. That was what the Royals were hoping for, rather than the 6.35 ERA he gave them in six outings last season.
Cruz, 25, has 18 1/3 major league innings under his belt, pitching to a 3.44 ERA. He allowed two earned runs in his three innings at Triple-A to begin the season, but racked up six strikeouts.
It will take a group effort to replace Harvey for the time being, as there's no telling what Cruz will bring to the table. But the hope is that the 30-year-old should be back in the not-so-distant future.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia
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