Royals place lefty reliever Matt Strahm on injured list. Here’s who is coming back
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals placed LHP Matt Strahm on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation.
- Bailey Falter was reinstated after a rehab following left elbow inflammation.
- Strahm’s absence could increase leverage chances for Lynch, Schreiber, and Falter.
The Kansas City Royals on Saturday placed left-handed reliever Matt Strahm on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation.
Strahm, 34, aggravated the knee during the ninth inning of Friday’s 11-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The Royals’ training staff evaluated Strahm, who has dealt with this injury before, on the mound. He was able to finish the inning before being replaced.
“Last night, it kind of flared up on him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said ahead of Saturday afternoon’s weather-delayed second game of the I-70 series. “The inflammation is in there and it’s gotten worse. So we thought that was the best course to get him healthy and get him back out feeling good.”
In a corresponding move, the Royals reinstated left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter from his rehab assignment. Falter was previously sidelined with left-elbow inflammation and he missed a little over a month.
The Royals are hopeful Strahm will recover quickly. This season, he’s been one of their top high-leverage relievers. In 17 relief appearances, he has a 3.86 ERA and 9.4 strikeout rate per nine innings.
His absence will shift the club’s bullpen mix. Lucas Erceg is still expected to close games, but there could be more opportunities for Daniel Lynch IV, John Schreiber and even Falter to seize some high-leverage chances.
Lynch is a name to watch. He has thrived with increased usage — as his 1.96 ERA in 18 1/3 innings attests — but now, he will be the Royals’ primary left-handed specialist.
And Quatraro believes he is fit for the role.
“He’s had an outstanding start to the season,” Quatraro said of Lynch. “I mean, we’ve relied on him in high leverage right from the get-go. Both of those guys (Strahm included) have been pretty neutral. So we’ve been using them against righties and lefties.”
The Royals were already navigating injuries in their bullpen, including closer Carlos Estévez (right shoulder) and James McArthur (right-elbow inflammation).
As Strahm becomes the latest KC pitcher to visit the injured list, Falter hopes to help fill the void. He spent his rehab assignment changing his pitching routine to handle the rigors of relief work.
He is the latest Royal to transition from being a starter to a reliever. Lynch made the switch and Royals starter Kris Bubic also pitched in relief in 2024.
“For me, the biggest thing was developing a routine,” Falter said. “Since always being a starter, going into the bullpen, just being able to prep the body every two days to be able to pitch, that was the biggest thing for me.”
Falter allowed four earned runs in 13 1/3 innings during his rehab assignment. He figures to slide into a key relief role now.
With the Royals using multiple relievers in Friday’s loss — six, after starter Michael Wacha exited — there was a chance his name would be called at some point Saturday afternoon.
“I mean, a guy goes down, you hate hearing that,” Falter said. “But it’s always the next guy up. I hope he (Strahm) recovers quick. From talking to him, it shouldn’t be too long, so I’m excited for him to get back. But I’m here for whatever the team needs.”
