The Royals placed Zerpa (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Zerpa hasn't thrown all spring due to the left shoulder issue, which the Royals are labeling as tendinopathy. He'll be out at least the first two months of the 2023 regular season and is likely to settle into the rotation at Triple-A Omaha once healthy.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Dealing with sore shoulder
Rotowire
Zerpa is behind schedule in Royals camp with a mild left shoulder injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa will continue his throwing program, so this is viewed as only a minor setback for now. The left-hander should be on a starter's schedule this spring but could also wind up in the bullpen.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Leaves rehab start early
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Zerpa (knee) was pulled from his rehab start in Triple-A Omaha early due to discomfort in his left arm, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa was struck by a ball that came right back at him off the bat during his previous start, so it is possible that the two incidents are connected. Nonetheless, the Royals will determine their approach with Zerpa following an evaluation of his arm.
Zerpa (knee) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Zerpa has been on the injured list with right knee discomfort since late July, and he isn't eligible to be activated until late September. However, he'll appear in minor-league games over the next few weeks and should have a chance to rejoin the big-league club prior to the end of the regular season.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Transferred to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Zerpa (knee) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Zerpa landed on the injured list with right knee discomfort last Wednesday, but he'll ultimately be forced to miss at least two months after the Royals detected a small tear in his patella tendon, per Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star. The southpaw posted a 1.64 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 11 innings over three appearances (two starts) in the majors this year, and though he'll technically be eligible to come off the IL in the penultimate week of the regular season, the Royals are more likely to shut him down rather than risking a potential setback heading into the offseason.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Leaves with knee discomfort
Rotowire
Zerpa was removed from Tuesday's game against the Angels with right knee discomfort, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa started Tuesday's contest and was lifted after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with one strikeout and one walk over four innings. The severity of the injury remains unclear, leaving the 22-year-old's availability up in the air.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Officially recalled
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports. He will start Tuesday's game versus the Angels.
As expected, Zerpa joins the 26-man roster and will make his second start of the season. The 22-year-old has allowed just one earned run in seven total innings in 2022.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Rejoining rotation Tuesday
Rotowire
The Royals plan to recall Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha to start Tuesday's game against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa will be rejoining the big club just a week and a half after he stepped in to make a spot start in Toronto while Kansas City was without two rotation options in Brad Keller and Brady Singer during its four-game series with the Blue Jays. This time around, Zerpa will be filling in as the Royals' No. 5 starter while both Daniel Lynch (hand) and Jonathan Heasley (shoulder) are on the injured list. Heasley made a rehab start over the weekend while Lynch is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, so Zerpa may not stick around in the rotation beyond this week. Over his three career big-league outings (two starts), Zerpa has given up three runs (one earned) on eight hits and three walks while striking out six over 12 innings.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Earns second win
Rotowire
Zerpa (2-0) earned the win Thursday in Toronto, striking out two in five innings while allowing a run on four hits and two walks.
Zerpa pitched two innings Monday as the 27th man for the Royals' doubleheader and was recalled to start Thursday. With the short turnaround, it was a bit of a surprise that the lefty tossed five innings, but he managed to pitch long enough to pick up his second MLB victory. He held Toronto scoreless until Matt Chapman led off the fifth with a solo blast. The lefty stayed in the game and finished off the frame by retiring George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero. The 22-year-old will likely be back in the minors for his next appearance. Whether that's a return to Double-A Northwest Arkansas or his season debut for Triple-A Omaha remains to be seen.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Promoted to start Thursday
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Zerpa was recalled from Double-A Northwest Arkansas and will start Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Zerpa picked up his first big-league win Monday after firing two scoreless innings out of the bullpen for Kansas City, and he'll now briefly join the big-league rotation with the team missing a slew of players due to their vaccination statuses. The left-hander has started 13 games at Double-A this year and has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 69:21 K:BB across 64 innings. Given he's only on two days rest since Monday's appearance, Zerpa shouldn't be expected to pitch deep into Thursday's contest.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Earns first big-league win
Rotowire
Zerpa (1-0) allowed one hit across two scoreless innings to earn the win in the second game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Tigers. He recorded zero strikeouts and zero walks.
Zerpa hadn't pitched above the Double-A level this season, but he was able to hold his own against major-league hitters in just his second career appearance with the Royals. For his efforts, he was awarded the win after Daniel Lynch (finger) went only four innings and wasn't eligible for the decision. Zerpa has a 4.36 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 69:21 K:BB in 64 innings across 13 starts with Northwest Arkansas this year, and it's expected he'll return to the Double-A club Tuesday after being designated the 27th man for Monday's doubleheader.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Recalled for doubleheader
Rotowire
Zerpa was called up from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Monday.
Zerpa will serve as the Royals' 27th man for Monday's doubleheader against the Tigers. He's yet to pitch in the big leagues this season, but he's compiled a 4.36 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 69 punchouts over 64 innings in 13 starts in Double-A this year. Zerpa will likely be returned to the minor leagues following Monday's contests.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Optioned to Double-A
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Zerpa was optioned to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sunday.
He didn't get into a big-league game during this latest stint. Zerpa had been missing more bats recently at Double-A, striking out 26 while allowing nine earned runs over 16.2 innings in his three most recent starts.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Sent to Double-A
Rotowire
The Royals optioned Zerpa to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa was summoned from the minors to make a spot start for the Royals late in the 2021 season, and though he acquitted himself well by striking out four while allowing two unearned runs in five innings in a Sept. 30 loss to Cleveland, he never looked like a serious threat to win a spot on Kansas City's Opening Day roster. Instead, Zerpa will return to the Double-A level in search of better results after he submitted a 5.96 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 45.1 innings for Northwest Arkansas in 2021.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Takes loss in MLB debut
Rotowire
Zerpa (0-1) was tagged with the loss Thursday after allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits and a walk while fanning four across five innings.
The young left-hander made his big-league debut in the series finale and while he was tagged with the loss, he looked composed while tossing 44 of his 68 pitches for strikes. Zerpa posted a 2.59 ERA across eight starts at High-A Quad Cities and will probably start next season at Double-A, but this outing was certainly encouraging for his long-term outlook.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Promoted for MLB debut
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Zerpa was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to start Thursday's game against Cleveland, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
The young left-hander will fill the rotation spot of Brady Singer (upper arm), who recently landed on the injured list. Zerpa opened the season at High-A Quad Cities and posted a 2.59 ERA in eight starts, and he struggled between Double-A and Triple-A the rest of the season with 33 earned runs in 46.2 frames. He'll have one games to show what he can do in the big leagues before heading into the offseason.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Making MLB debut Thursday
Rotowire
The Royals will call up Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday to start the team's series finale with Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The 22-year-old lefty will be taking the rotation spot of Brady Singer (upper arm), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Zerpa began the season at High-A Quad Cities and submitted a 2.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 41.2 innings, but he's faltered during his brief time in the upper levels of the minors. Between stops at Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Zerpa has compiled a 6.36 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 55:20 K:BB across 46.2 frames.
