Royals' concerningly shallow pitching depth tested once again after latest injury blow

Just when Kansas City Royals fans think this team has hit rock-bottom, there always seems to be a new wrinkle thrown that them that just makes that hole deeper. After Bailey Falter's DFA-worthy perfromance on Tuesday really exposed the Royals concerning amount and quality of pitching depth, that questionable depth was tested yet again ahead of Friday's game.

The team announced ahead of their series opener with the Texas Rangers that right-handed reliever Nick Mears would be placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. In his place they'd be calling up a familiar face in Eric Cerantola, who was recently up with the squad earlier this month.

Joining in the offseason in trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, which has turned out to be a very favorable deal for the Royals, Mears was a godsend for the Royals bullpen in the early going. Through April the righty held a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .167 BAA, quickly becoming one of Matt Quatraro's more trusted arms in relief.

However, perhaps this injury explains his drop in form in May. In 8.1 innings of work this month, Mears was throwing to an elevated 8.64 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and .353 BAA, highlighted by his most recent and worst start when he surrendered three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning of work on Wednesday against the New York Yankees.

This in turn raised his season ERA above 5.00 and essentially undid all the work he'd done at the start of the year. Statistically speaking, it also unfortunately placed him among some of the Royals more inconsistent and infuriating bullpen arms this season such as Alex Lange, Steven Cruz and Eli Morgan.

He's not the best option, but Eric Cerantola warranted another chance with Royals

As for Mears' injury replacement, Cerantola will make his return to the majors following his demotion back down to Triple-A Omaha on May 8 after making a pair of bullpen appearances.

On the surface, a 9.00 ERA in 3.00 innings of work isn't the best look for the Canadian hurler, but it was really a tale of two outings for him in his debut stint. Cerantola looked strong in his debut inning against the Guardians on May 6, surrendering just a hit and walk but allowing no runs and striking out a pair. The next night, in a doubled workload, things went very differently. While he managed three strikeouts, he also surrendered just as many walks and earned runs.

Still, despite some poor traditional stats, a 35.7% K-rate in his first taste of big leagues is nothing to ignore. Pair that with a 1.37 ERA and .213 BAA in Omaha this season, and the Royals could really do worse. So long as he tries to find a way to minimize the walks, Kansas City might have a more viable replacement option for their bullpen which could do wonders for their depth concerns moving forward.

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