Noah Cameron is optioned down after his terrific start.
The Royals announced they have added right-handed reliever Taylor Clarke to the roster and have optioned Noah Cameron back to Triple-A Omaha. To make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke, the team transferred pitcher James McArthur to the 60-day Injured List.
Clarke pitched for the Royals from 2022-23, appearing in 105 games with a 5.08 ERA. He was effective in 2022 with a 4.04 ERA in 47 appearances, and was off to a good start in 2023 with a 2.70 ERA over his first 27 starts, but was pounded after that, giving up 32 runs over his final 29 innings. After the season, he was traded to the Brewers for Cam Devanney and Ryan Brady. But he never appeared in a game with the Brewers, undergoing knee surgery that kept him out of action for two months. He re-signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent this off-season and had a 4.40 ERA in 10 games with Omaha with nine strikeouts in 14 1⁄3 innings.
Cameron came up for a spot start to fill in for the injured Cole Ragans, and was sensational in his debut. He flirted with a no-hitter, allowing just one hit in 6 1⁄3 scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Rays on Wednesday. His demotion likely means Ragans will make his next scheduled start this weekend in Baltimore after missing time with a groin injury.
McArthur had off-season surgery to repair an olecranon fracture in his right elbow and there is no timetable yet on his return.
The Royals could use an extra bullpen arm, but the options in Omaha are a bit limited. Evan Sisk and Jonathan Bowlan must stay in the minors for 15 days barring an injury. Austin Cox has pitched well, but the Royals pen already features two lefties in Angel Zerpa and Daniel Lynch IV. Younger pitchers with better strikeout rates like Andrew Hoffmann or Junior Fernandez might have made some sense, but the Royals will roll with Clarke for now.