Left-hander Brian Duensing climbs into competition for final spot in Royals bullpen

Brian Duensing is an unlikely resident on the right side of the Royals clubhouse, the designated area for All-Stars, veterans and likely starters. Luke Hochevar occupies space along the same wall. As does reliever Wade Davis and left fielder Alex Gordon.

Duensing, a 33-year-old reliever and non-roster invitee, is on this side because of his close relationship with Gordon, his old college roommate. They were good friends and teammates at Nebraska. They remain close to this day. Gordon resides in a corner stall, just feet away.

For now, Duensing is something like an interloper in this space, but that could be changing soon. As the Royals decide on their final bullpen pieces, Duensing has emerged as a candidate to earn a final spot in the Royals’ bullpen.

“He’s a veteran guy, he knows how to pitch,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We like what we see out of him.”

To this point, the evidence has been ample: In 7  2/3 innings, Duensing has posted a 2.35 ERA, including seven straight scoreless appearances. He has filled up the strike zone while recording 10 strikeouts and one walk. He has resembled the effective swingman who spent summers with the Minnesota Twins, not the shaky reliever who posted a 4.25 ERA in 48  2/3 innings last season.

After seven seasons in Minnesota, Duensing signed a minor-league deal in February. For the first time in years, he entered a spring-training camp without a roster spot assured. To this point, he’s answered the call.

“I haven’t competed for a spot for about five years or so,” Duensing said. “So I didn’t know how I would be able to handle it, to be honest. I’ve been throwing the ball well, which I was hoping to do. I just wanted to give myself a chance.”

His chances could be helped by the intricacies of roster construction. Example: As the Royals enter the spring training stretch run, just one or two bullpen spots remain up for grabs. Yost is transparent in saying the Royals will try to maintain as much depth as possible at the major-league level and Class AAA. This could help Duensing’s case.

After seven years in the big leagues, he has no options remaining. He also possesses a opt-out clause in his minor-league contract. Beginning March 29, Duensing can opt out of his deal, forcing the Royals to put him on the 40-man roster or let him walk. The timing could be critical.

Right-hander Chien-Ming Wang has emerged as another leading candidate for a final bullpen spot. He also has an opt-out clause. It does not take effect until May 1, meaning the Royals could stash Wang at Omaha when the season begins.

“It’s very important,” Yost said, speaking of roster depth. “Because you know, you start the season with ‘X’ amount of pitchers. You’re not going to end the season with that amount. It just doesn’t happen.”

In recent days, Duensing has survived as the Royals optioned left-handers Brian Flynn and Scott Alexander to Omaha. He also saw the club let reliever Ross Ohlendorf walk after exercising his opt-out.

For now, Duensing has five more days to make his case. After a month of camp, he credits Davis and Hochevar for inadvertently helping him find a mechanical fix in his delivery. On most days, Duensing says, he will sit and listen to Davis and Hochevar discuss mechanics. The conversation usually drifts to something Zack Greinke used to do, or the tricks Davis uses to repeat his delivery. One day, Davis was explaining how he throws his cutter.

“He just mentioned a few things about how he stays behind a baseball to throw a cutter,” Duensing said. “I don’t throw a cutter, but it can be used the same way with every pitch. I just tried it out a couple times, and next thing you know, it felt like I could locate my fastball to both sides.”

As Duensing told the story, he said Davis probably didn’t even realize he was helpful. In subtle ways, though, his residence in the clubhouse has paid off.

“I’ll listen to them talk mechanics all the time,” he said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Left-hander Brian Duensing climbs into competition for final spot in Royals bullpen."