How ex-teammate could hurt KC Royals playoff chances

Almost three years have come and gone since Scott Blewett last threw a major league pitch for the KC Royals. Almost the same amount of time has passed since he appeared in a minor league game game for the organization, and later rejected the club's outright assignment and chose to become a free agent.

But now, Blewett is suddenly poised to do damage to his former team's playoff hopes. Minnesota added the right-handed reliever to their active roster Friday, making him available to face the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft when the Royals open an important three-game series at Target Field Monday.

Blewett is replacing reliever Joe Ryan, whose teres major strain forced him to the Injured List Friday morning. Ryan's is the type of injury that could sideline him for a significant period. In 23 apearances this season, he's 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 135 innings.

How could Blewett help the Twins and hurt the Royals?

Former KC Royals pitcher could be key Minnesota component

Important to keep in mind is the context in which Blewett is joining Minnesota. The second-place Twins trail American League Central-leading Cleveland by only 3.5 games as they prepare to host the Guardians for a three-game weekend set before greeting the Royals Monday night; more importantly for the Royals, they also lead third-place Kansas City by only a half-game in the standings and by the same margin in the AL Wild Card chase.

Blewett's task of replacing one of Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli's bullpen pieces, then, is critical.

Blewett, who signed a minor league contract with the Twins in January, was 5-2 with a 3.66 ERA in 33 relief appearances and three starts for Triple-A St. Paul when he got the call to return to the majors. He split last season between Atlanta's Mississippi Double-A affiliate, where he went 3-4, 4.21 in 17 games, and Uni-President in Taiwan's CBPL, where he posted a 3-3, 3.95 record in seven appearances.

Blewett last worked for the Royals during the 2021 season when he gave up one run in five innings. He made his major league debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and surrendered two runs in three innings after spending time at Kansas City's Alternate Training Site. Despite some promise, Blewett tended to give up too many runs in the minors — his career minor league ERA is 5.06 — which probably influenced why he fell out of the team's big league picture when it overhauled its bullpen after the 2021 campaign.

Time will tell how Blewett, who's capable of pitching well, will fare in his return to the big leagues. That the Twins summoned him to replace an important component of their bullpen suggests they have confidence he can do the job.

And if he works effectively against the Royals next week, he could put a dent in his former teammates' playoff hopes.

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