Ryan Verdugo Gets the Call; Will Smith Optioned to Omaha

Ryan Verdugo, part of the Melky Cabrera/Jonathan Sanchez trade, was promoted to the big leagues today and is in Kansas City for their second game against the Twins. The Royals plan to use him as a reliever, though reports are that he’ll only be up for a few days while the Royals finish up the homestand. They travel to Pittsburgh for interleague play and could need another position player.

In eleven starts for Omaha, Verdugo put up 62.1 innings, striking out 52 but walking 30. He only gave up 6.5 hits per nine innings en route to a 3.61 ERA, though, and as a lefty, he can pitch situationally or in a long relief role if necessary over the next two days.

We talked to Verdugo on the Royalman Report shortly after he was traded to the Royals. He’s somewhat of a character, though he did disable his Twitter account once the season started, so his focus may be paying off.

To make room on the roster, Will Smith was optioned back to Omaha. Smith made three starts after his call up to Kansas City, struggling in two of them. With a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings, it wasn’t a surprise to see him sent back to Omaha. He achieved one win in his time with the Royals. He’ll possibly be back at some point this year, but may wait until September to make his way back.