KC Royals reliever ‘awesome’ since return, says acting skipper

Silver linings have been rare for the KC Royals during their longest losing streak of the season. The lineup has struggled, dipping from average to nearly nonexistent, but that shouldn’t overshadow some standout performances on the mound. Royals bench coach Paul Hoover, stepping in as interim manager with Matt Quatraro absent, praised right-hander Carlos Hernández for his recent strong outings.

"He's been awesome," Hoover said from the Royals dugout to Bally Sports' Joel Goldberg. "He's throwing the ball well. Even when he came up here and threw, and we had to make a roster move and make a decision, we had to send him down. He was good then, The work that those guys are doing [in Omaha]...feels really good that he is able to contribute. This is what we wanted him to do, expected him to do last year. It just didn't pan out the right way. Hopefully it is turning at the right time now."

The hard-throwing righty has experienced his share of ups and downs with the Royals, but his latest stint in Kansas City looks promising. Since the start of September, he’s thrown two scoreless innings, following two earned runs in his first three innings back. The Venezuelan has been frequently shuffled this season, with prior stints on the Royals roster from May 24-30, June 18-July 5, and Aug.10-19.

Since his return from Omaha, one of Hernández’s standout adjustments has been relying on his slider more than his high-velocity four-seam fastball. Goldberg questioned Royals bench coach Hoover about this strategy, with Hoover acknowledging that it was "part" of Hernández’s recent success.

"We feel like the slider is a really, really good pitch for him," Hoover said. "The usage is probably different, not as many fastballs. He's been fun to watch, and [I'm] excited to see him the next time he gets out there."

That slider might be a bit slower, but it’s generating more swings and misses with better overall results. This improvement is likely due to Hernández posting career-high spin rates on his slider this season, with significant increases in August. On Aug. 30, his sliders averaged 2,421 RPM, a career-best and a huge leap from his July 2024 average of 2,063 RPM.

Kansas City needs all the help they can get to break out of this slump and get back on track before the season ends. Hernández has shown glimpses of his potential for years, but it’s time for him to deliver consistently and restore the fans’ faith in the righty.