KC Royals: 3 big club questions, 3 answers

Why did the KC Royals decide to keep struggling pitcher Mike Mayers?

Good question. Remember that the club DFA'd Mayers Sunday after he surrendered six runs to the Angels in five innings the day before. (Despite Mayers' performance, the Royals won that game on Samad Taylor's exciting ninth-inning RBI single). Unsurprisingly, no team claimed Mayers on waivers, and he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Tuesday.

Easy to understand is Mayers agreeing to join the Storm Chasers, for whom he was 2-1, 6.88 when Kansas City called the eight-year big league veteran up last month; after all, he needs a place to play. Much harder to understand, though, is why he's still with the organization. His career 5.10 ERA was a red flag when the club signed him in December, he gave up eight runs in 14.1 Cactus League innings this spring, and was battered for 16 earned runs in the last 13 innings he pitched before his Sunday DFA. He's 1-2 with a 6.15 ERA.

So, just how has he survived with the Royals? Probably for one reason and one reason only—this is a club poor on pitching and pitching depth, and will be more so after the trade deadline. He may not be much, but Mayers is part of all they've got for 2023.

And that isn't saying much. Not much at all.