Royals' Bailey Falter: Allows two runs in rehab outing
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Falter (elbow) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over one inning with Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. He struck out one.
Falter made his first rehab appearance as he works his way back from left elbow inflammation. It wasn't a strong outing for the southpaw, as after opening the frame with a strikeout, he allowed loud contact and traffic on the basepaths that resulted in two runs. Prior to landing on the injured list, Falter made two relief appearances for the Royals, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks across 3.1 innings with four strikeouts. His next rehab outing is scheduled for Saturday, barring any setbacks.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Cleared for rehab assignment
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Falter (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Falter landed on the injured list in early April with left elbow inflammation but is ready to test things out in a game setting. The southpaw has been touched up for five runs across 3.1 innings to begin the regular season and will be used in a mop-up role once he's back in the Royals' bullpen.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Resumes throwing
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Falter (elbow) began playing catch Monday, MLB.com reports.
Falter was placed on the injured list Friday due to left elbow inflammation, specifically valgus extension overload that causes pain when extending the elbow. After receiving an injection, the southpaw began playing catch, with a bullpen session likely next in his rehab progression, though there is no clear timeline. Prior to landing on the injured list, Falter had been working out of the bullpen for the Royals and allowed five runs across 3.1 innings to begin the regular season.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Sidelined with elbow inflammation
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The Royals placed Falter on the 15-day injured list Friday with left elbow inflammation.
Falter was knocked around for three runs while recording just one out in a relief appearance Wednesday versus the Twins, but it seems he might not have been pitching at 100 percent. The lefty will be eligible to return in mid-April, but it's unclear at this juncture how much time he might miss.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Strong relief outing
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Falter allowed no hits or walks across three scoreless innings in Tuesday's Cactus League loss to the Dodgers. He struck out five.
Falter was originally slated to start Tuesday's contest, but manager Matt Quatraro instead deployed the southpaw out of the bullpen to evaluate his versatility and adaptability, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Falter responded with his best outing of the spring, entering in the fourth inning and striking out five of the nine batters he faced while averaging 93.6 mph on his fastball, up from 92.1 mph last season. The 28-year-old appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Royals' rotation, especially if the club sticks with a traditional five-man group, so his ability to pitch effectively in relief could boost his chances of making the roster as a left-handed bullpen option.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Tosses two scoreless frames
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Falter allowed a hit and no walks across two scoreless innings in Sunday's Cactus League win over the Brewers. He did not record a strikeout.
Falter got the start Sunday and delivered a clean outing, allowing just one baserunner on a 77.8 mph single by Jake Bauers in the second inning. The southpaw didn't record a strikeout, though that's not especially surprising given his low-90s fastball and 5.8 K/9 across 125.1 innings last season. After finishing 2025 on the injured list with a left biceps contusion, it's encouraging to see the 28-year-old healthy and without restrictions this spring. With a deep group that includes Noah Cameron, Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert competing for rotation spots, Falter is a strong candidate to open the year in a long-relief role for the Royals.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: No restrictions to open camp
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Falter (biceps) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Falter spent the final five weeks of the 2025 season on the shelf due to a left biceps contusion, but he made two rehab appearances with Triple-A Omaha in late September and looks to have had a normal offseason. The veteran southpaw will likely get stretched out as a starter during spring training, but he's probably on the outside looking in for a rotation spot and could be ticketed for a long-relief role.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Settles at $3.6 million
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Falter (biceps) agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Falter failed to make a positive first impression with the Royals after being traded from Pittsburgh at the deadline, as he allowed 15 earned runs over just 12 innings before spending the final month of the season on the injured list due to a biceps contusion. He's likely to be fully recovered by the time spring training starts, at which point he'll compete for a spot in Kansas City's rotation.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Kicking off rehab assignment
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Falter (biceps) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
It will be his first game appearance since he landed on the 15-day injured list with a left biceps contusion in late August. Falter had been demoted to the Royals' bullpen before getting hurt, and if he does make it back before the end of the season, it could be in a low-leverage relief role.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Hits IL with biceps contusion
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The Royals placed Falter on the 15-day injured list Saturday due to a left biceps contusion.
During his relief appearance in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Tigers, Falter took a 91.5 mile-per-hour line drive off his arm on his fifth pitch of the night. He proceeded to stay in the game and was ultimately charged with four earned runs on six hits and one walk over two innings, but he was dealing with enough swelling following the contest for the Royals to shut him down. Jonathan Bowlan was recalled from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move to take Falter's spot in the bullpen.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Roughed up out of bullpen
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Falter (7-7) took the loss Friday against Detroit, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two over two innings.
Falter was roughed up in relief Friday, giving up three runs without recording an out in the seventh inning and ultimately yielding four runs across two frames. Since joining Kansas City, the left-hander has labored, allowing nine earned runs over eight innings in two starts before being shifted to the bullpen. That move hasn't stabilized things either, as he's surrendered six earned runs in four innings of relief.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Moved to bullpen
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Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Falter will move to the bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Michael Lorenzen (oblique) is ready to rejoin the rotation this weekend, and it's Falter who will shift to relief to accommodate Lorenzen's return. Falter has been pummeled for nine runs on 11 hits and five walks over eight innings in two starts since the Royals acquired him at the trade deadline. The lefty is likely to be used in a mop-up role.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Lasts four frames in no-decision
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Falter did not factor into the decision in Monday's 7-4 victory over Washington. He allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in four innings with five strikeouts.
The 28-year-old southpaw couldn't last the five innings required for a win in this 76-pitch outing. Falter conceded a two-run homer to Josh Bell in the opening frame, as he's now coughed up nine runs across eight innings with the Royals after arriving at the trade deadline. Through 121.1 total innings with Kansas City and Pittsburgh, Falter has pitched to a 4.15 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 77:44 K:BB while yielding 19 long balls. He is currently scheduled to make his next start at home against the White Sox this weekend.
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Royals' Bailey Falter: Dealt to Kansas City
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The Royals acquired Falter from the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for Evan Sisk and Callan Moss, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Mitch Keller was the more popular name in trade rumors among Pirates starting pitchers, but Falter is instead the first, and perhaps only, rotation piece to be on the move. The left-hander has been a quality back-end starter this season with a 3.73 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 70:39 K:BB across 113.1 innings.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Ties career high with eight Ks
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Falter (7-5) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings in a 6-1 victory over the Tigers. He struck out eight without walking a batter.
The southpaw delivered his first quality start since May 31 on an efficient 87 pitches (63 strikes) as he tied his career high in strikeouts. Falter has struggled since the beginning of June, and even after Wednesday's performance he carries a 4.89 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB over his last nine starts and 42.1 innings. He'll look to build on this effort in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in San Francisco.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Struggles with power
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Falter didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Kansas City, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Falter yielded multiple home runs for a second consecutive start, surrendering a solo homer to Salvador Perez and a two-run shot to Jac Caglianone. Falter hasn't completed six frames in seven straight outings, logging a 5.17 ERA and an 18:12 K:BB over 31.1 innings during that stretch. He'll take a 3.79 ERA into the All-Star break.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Mixed results in fourth loss
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Falter (6-4) took the loss Friday against the Mariners, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits and no walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.
After working just 1.2 innings in a rain-shortened appearance in his last start, Falter managed his longest outing Friday since his May 31 start. The four strikeouts matched the southpaw's most in his last eight appearances, and he avoided issuing a free pass for the first time since May 20. Falter will take a 3.69 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 56:32 K:BB across 92.2 frames on the road his next time out against the Royals, who are batting just .228 versus left-handed pitching since and including June 10.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Start cut short due to rain delay
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Falter did not factor into Saturday's decision against the Mets, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 1.2 innings.
Falter did not return for the top of the second inning following an 89-minute rain delay, and he finished his start tossing 30 pitches (19 strikes). It's unclear whether Falter will be moved up in the rotation given the shortened outing, but if he remains on regular rest, he is slated to make his next start against the Mariners on the road next weekend.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Hit hard in no-decision
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Falter didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.
Three of the five hits off the southpaw went for extra bases, including homers by Wenceel Perez and Javier Baez. Falter has avoided getting tagged with a loss since April 27, going 4-0 over his last nine trips to the mound while posting a stunning 1.99 ERA and 0.99 WHIP despite a lackluster 28:17 K:BB in 49.2 innings. He'll try to keep that streak going in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Rangers.
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Pirates' Bailey Falter: Fantastic finish to May
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Falter (4-3) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one over 6.1 shutout innings to earn the win Saturday over the Padres.
Falter went 3-0 with just four runs allowed (three earned) over 35.2 innings across his six starts in May. The one downside was his 19:13 K:BB, though Falter has never been one to rack up strikeouts. On the year, he's at a 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 41:22 K:BB through 66 innings over 12 starts. He is tentatively projected to next take the mound at home against his former team, the Phillies, next weekend.