Two rehabbing KC Royals pitchers have dominant Sundays in Omaha

The KC Royals dropped their series finale against the Texas Rangers in extra innings, disappointing Royals fans far and wide. The extra-innings affair came after a surprisingly strong season debut for pitcher Daniel Lynch IV, who pitched five shutout innings against the Rangers.

Lynch officially rejoined the Royals roster Sunday morning, coming from Triple-A Omaha. If Royals fans had turned their attention north yesterday, they would have seen two other Kansas City pitchers posting positive performances against the Iowa Cubs.

The KC Royals have pitching reinforcements rehabbing in Triple-A Omaha.

Righty Alec Marsh began his rehab assignment against the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A affiliate, making his first start since April 24. The former Sun Devil looked MLB-ready against the Cubs, throwing four innings of one-hit baseball and striking out six in the process. Before his day ended, he allowed only one hit and pitched three 1-2-3 innings.

He was not the only rehabbing pitcher in action for Omaha. Carlos Hernández began his assignment in Triple-A back on April 26 and still sought a scoreless appearance for the Storm Chasers. That first such outing came against the Cubs, earning him the win in the process. Hernández relieved Marsh on Sunday, throwing a hitless fifth inning with two strikeouts in the process.

Sunday was Marsh's first start since a combacker against the Toronto Blue Jays forced him to leave early. Thankfully, there was no serious injury, but Marsh still landed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow contusion designation. Kansas City has deployed Jonathan Bowlan and Lynch to replace Marsh in the rotation, but the righty desperately needs to be back in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Hernández has not made an MLB appearance this year, and Sunday marked his third minor-league game in 2024. He had given up five runs in two previous outings, but Hernández bounced back nicely against the Cubs. His fastball remains erratic, it seems, but his slider and knuckle curve kept the opposition off balance.

According to MLB.com, both pitchers should return to the league this month. Specifically, Marsh should be ready for a May 10 start "assuming he recovers fine from [Sunday's] start."

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