KC Royals News: Star prospect hurt, ex-player check-in

Injuries to key pitchers plague the KC Royals. Ángel Zerpa remains on the 60-day Injured List after landing there during spring training. A late March rotator cuff injury sidelined Daniel Lynch until a week ago, when he returned to major league action and pitched well against Washington. Kris Bubic pitched three times in April before injury struck and Tommy John Surgery followed.

Brad Keller (right shoulder impingement), Josh Taylor (left shoulder impingement) and Amir Garrett (left elbow) are all recent IL additions. Ryan Yarbrough, struck in the face by a line drive early last month, is on the 60-day List.

And let's not forget Jake Brentz, who might be back this season after undergoing TJS last July.

Now, the injury bug has put a star Kansas City pitching prospect out of action. Frank Mozzicato, the organization's sixth-best prospect per MLB Pipeline who's pitched exclusively at Low-A Columbia since the club grabbed him in the first round of the 2021 amateur draft, just went on the Fireflies' IL and, per MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, his stay there won't be brief:

Despite a 1-3 record this season, Mozzicato is the talk of the minor leagues—he boasts a 2.14 ERA (11 earned runs in 46.1 innings), a 14.37 K/9 (74 strikeouts in those 46.1 frames), and a stingy 1.06 WHIP. That he's still in Low-A is a testament to the club's clear plan not to rush him through the system.

He fanned 10 batters in five innings against Down East Thursday night and 13 in six against Fayetteville April 18.

The Moose might have one game left to appear against the KC Royals

This weekend's series with Colorado may be the last opportunity for Royals fans to see former KC star Mike Moustakas, now with the Rockies, play at Kauffman Stadium. Those hoping to see Moose Friday or Saturday were probably disappointed when Colorado manager Bud Black, also an ex-Royal, chose not to use him in either game.

But Black has him in the lineup for today's 1:10 p.m. CDT game at The K:

Could former KC Royals star Eric Hosmer be close to a new job?

Good question. It's been over two weeks since the Cubs designated Hosmer for assignment, and 10 days since they released him after no other big league team claimed him on waivers.

Next to no news concerning his future employment prospects has surfaced, but at least one national source thinks Hosmer might be a suitable addition to the roster of one of the Cubs' National League East rivals. New York Post baseball writer Jon Heyman suggests the Phillies could be a team with a need for Hosmer.

This ex-KC Royals player may have a new lease on his baseball life

Ryan O'Hearn's time in Kansas City ran out when the Royals shipped him to Baltimore in a player-for-cash deal just three days into 2023. Two days later, the Orioles, in a move apparently designed to clear 40-man roster space without losing him, DFA'd O'Hearn and, after successfully passing him through waivers, outrighted him to their Triple-A farm club.

Now O'Hearn, a .219 but once-promising hitter during parts of five seasons with the Royals, is back in the majors and making the best of his new situation. He's played in 19 games for the Orioles and is batting .277 (13-for-47) with two home runs and 14 RBIs.