52 Justin Grimm RP

Grimm gave up six runs on four hits and a pair of walks while recording just one out in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

He's now given up multiple earned runs in four straight appearances, shooting his ERA all the way up to an unsightly 18.90. Grimm logged three holds in his first four appearances, but until he rights the ship, it may be tough to trust him in high-leverage situations.

Grimm retired three Tigers hitters on six pitches en route to notching his second hold of the season Tuesday.

After giving up a run on Opening Day, Grimm has logged holds on back-to-back appearances. Brandon Maurer and Blaine Boyer have each struggled in the early going, so if Grimm continues to pitch fairly well, he could ascend to being the top setup man for closer Kelvin Herrera.

Grimm agreed Sunday with the Royals on a one-year, $1.25 million contract, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

Grimm didn't have to wait long to find work after the Cubs released the veteran right-hander just days earlier. With the Royals inking him to a major-league deal, Grimm is in good shape to make the Opening Day roster, and he could quickly move up the ranks given the lack of dependable arms behind closer Kelvin Herrera. The Royals designated Sam Gaviglio for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Grimm.

Grimm was released by the Cubs on Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Grimm agreed to a $2.2 million salary for the upcoming season after losing his arbitration hearing earlier in the offseason, but the Cubs will only have to pay a portion of that since arbitration contracts aren't fully guaranteed. The right-handed reliever is coming off another lackluster season for the Cubs, as he posted a 5.53 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 55.1 innings. He's now seen his ERA jump by more than a point in each of the previous two seasons. Grimm still struck out more than a batter per inning (9.6 K/9), but his home run (2.0 HR/9) and walk (4.4 BB/9) rates were both too high. He'll now look to latch on elsewhere as a middle reliever.

Grimm will make $2.2 million in 2018 after losing his arbitration case, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Grimm came in at $2.475 million. The reliever appeared in 50 games for the Cubs in 2017, posting a rough 5.53 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 59:27 K:BB in 55.1 innings. His FIP suggested that the ERA was fairly accurate and some of that can be attributed to a huge spike in HR/9, as he gave up 2.0 after being under 1.0 in each of the previous three seasons.