Royals promote Lerew for Thursday start against Boston

By BOB DUTTON

The Kansas City Star

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Right-hander Anthony Lerew’s strong closing kick at Class AA Northwest Arkansas earned him a summons today to the big leagues to fill the Royals’ need for a starting pitcher in Thursday’s series finale against Boston.

Lerew, 26, won two postseason games for the Naturals and went 6-2 with a 2.42 ERA in his last 10 regular-season starts. Overall, he was 10-6 with a 4.09 ERA in 27 starts.

The Royals cleared space for Lerew by shifting lefty swingman Bruce Chen, who has a torn left oblique, to the 60-day disabled list. The move ends Chen’s season at 1-6 with a 5.78 ERA in 17 games, including nine starts.

The club also activated veteran reliever Juan Cruz from the disabled list. Cruz is 3-4 with a 6.17 ERA in 43 games but hasn’t pitched since Aug. 5 because of a strained shoulder.

Lerew signed with the Royals in March after missing much of the two previous seasons while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, a procedure commonly known as Tommy John surgery.

Prior to signing with the Royals, Lerew spent eight years in the Braves organization. He was Atlanta’s 11th-round pick in the 2001 draft and was signed by current Royals assistant general manager J.J. Picollo.

Lerew made 11 appearances, including three starts, for the Braves during 2005-07. He was 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. Lerew is 53-44 with a 3.52 ERA in 176 career minor-league games.

Lerew will be the 12th pitcher this season to start a game for the Royals. The other 11: Zack Greinke (31 starts), Brian Bannister (26), Gil Meche (23), Luke Hochevar (23 counting today), Kyle Davies (22), Sidney Ponson (9), Chen (9), Robinson Tejeda (4), Lenny DiNardo (3), Dusty Hughes (1) and Horacio Ramirez (1).

To reach Bob Dutton, Royals reporter for The Star, send email to bdutton@kcstar.com. Follow his updates at twitter.com/Royals_Report.

Posted on Wed, Sep. 23, 2009 03:41 PM

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