Royals manager Ned Yost careful about picking spots for first-timers like Kyle Zimmer
Yes, Royals manager Ned Yost feels a need to get young bullpen pitchers such as Kyle Zimmer, Scott Barlow and Chris Ellis into a game soon. But Yost has no intention of forcing it.
Of the three, only Barlow has thrown a pitch in a regular-season big-league game going into Sunday’s finale of the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
“You run into a little bit go an issue,” Yost said. “For me, I don’t want to have to force-feed them. But I may have to.”
Zimmer, one of the feel-good stories coming out of camp, hasn’t pitched in a game since March 24, in Arizona. Barlow and Ellis last pitched in the team’s exhibition against Omaha on Monday.
“There’s a lot riding on your first appearance as a big-league pitcher,” Yost said. “There’s a lot. It’s something you’ve waited for your whole life. There’s going to be extra adrenaline. There’s going to be extra nerves. There’s going to be extra hyped-up stuff. So I want to try to put them in a position where they don’t have come in in a life or death situation right now.
“But we’re playing good baseball, and I’m just going to have to find a spot for them somewhere if not today, here real quick. I’ve got to get them in a ballgame.”
Bailey ready and waiting: Opening day starting pitcher Brad Keller will be on regular rest to start Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins thanks to another off day on Monday. However, the Royals will need a fourth starter for Wednesday because Jakob Junis started on Saturday.
Officially, the Royals list Wednesday’s starter as TBA. However, Homer Bailey has joined the team in Kansas City. He threw more than six innings in extended spring training in Arizona on Thursday, according to pitching coach Cal Eldred. Bailey is not currently on the roster, so the club will need to make a roster move in order to add him prior to Wednesday. The Royals have a spot open on the 40-man roster, but they’ll need to make a move to add him to the 25-man roster.
Soup talk: Yost talked about the need for a manager to trust the pitchers he’s bringing in out of the bullpen, and he spun a soup metaphor to convey his point to reporters.
“The thing that every manager wants is to know what you’re going to get,” Yost said. “It’s like you walking into the store. You’re going to buy a can of soup. You want to know what kind of soup it is. Right? You don’t go in to buy mushroom soup and get split-pea soup. Right?
“It’s the same way with a manger. When I put a reliever on the mound, I want to know what I’m getting. I want that consistency every time. He’s not going to do it every time, but I’ve gotta have a good feeling that he’s going to throw strikes, that’s he’s going to be on the attack and he’s got the good stuff. I’ve got to have an idea what I’m getting just about every time I put somebody in. That’s where the trust factor comes in.”
Switching it up: As Yost alluded to on Saturday, he’s made some lineup changes to get guys in the swing or keep them in the swing early with the extra off days in the schedule. Sunday’s lineup features Whit Merrifield back at second base after starting the first two games in right field. Jorge Soler will start in right field with Ryan O’Hearn serving as designated hitter and Lucas Duda starting at first base for the first time this season against Chicago White Sox right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Sunday’s lineup
1. Whit Merrifield, 2b
2. Adalberto Mondesi, ss
3. Alex Gordon, lf
4. Jorge Soler, rf
5. Ryan O’Hearn, dh
6. Lucas Duda, 1b
7. Chris Owings, 3b
8. Martin Maldonado, c
9. Billy Hamilton, cf
Starting pitcher: Jorge Lopez, rh, 0-0, 0.00
This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Royals manager Ned Yost careful about picking spots for first-timers like Kyle Zimmer."
