Scuffling KC Royals reliever lands on IL, opening door for Evan Sisk in bullpen

The Kansas City Royals fandom have been calling for a few players to find a new home this season already, and one pitcher Sam Long found one on the IL. Kansas City announced Sunday that the left-handed pitcher was added to the 15-day IL due to left elbow inflammation. His replacement was another lefty reliever, one pitcher that fans have been eyeing for quite some time in Evan Sisk.

Long burst onto the scene in 2024, quickly becoming a pleasant surprise. However, his 2025 performance has disappointed expectations. In just seven outings, he has given up 10 earned runs, a problem that stems from his erratic control and tendency to hand over free passes to baserunners. Some speculate that pitching through elbow discomfort could have contributed to his struggles, and while the inflammation diagnosis suggests early tests ruled out anything severe, the Royals are proceeding cautiously.

KC Royals swap Sam Long with Evan Sisk after Long's injury.

In his most recent appearance on Apr. 12, Long walked two batters and allowed three earned runs in a single inning—the final run coming on a wild pitch, which was his third in just seven innings this season.

Daniel Lynch IV and Ángel Zerpa are the other southpaws in Kansas City’s bullpen, and Sisk should have a chance to contribute fairly early. His next appearance on an MLB mound will be his debut, something the 27-year-old has been waiting for for quite some time.

Sisk was originally drafted in the 16th round by the Cardinals in the 2018 MLB Draft and later sharpened his skills in the St. Louis and Minnesota farm systems. He joined the Royals organization via trade ahead of the 2023 season when the Twins sent him and fellow reliever Steven Cruz to Kansas City in exchange for Gold Glove winner Michael A. Taylor. Now, with Taylor on his third team in three seasons, Cruz and Sisk are primed to make an impact in Kansas City's bullpen.

Sisk struggled with Triple-A Omaha in 2023 before blossoming to a 1.57 ERA over 57.1 innings with Omaha last season. This performance still didn’t give Sisk a look on the Royals’ big league roster, but the Royals did add him to the 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and free agency.

The lefty has followed up on his breakout season with more dominance in Omaha, sporting a 0.00 ERA and 1.77 FIP across six appearances for the Storm Chasers. His 21.1% strikeout rate is a big dip from his 35.4% mark last year, but he also hasn't issued a walk this season and only allowed four hits.