The Royals made a few roster moves this afternoon, but the biggest one was probably the one that fills an immediate need: left-hander Aaron Bummer is up from Triple-A Omaha.
To make room, Kansas City placed right-hander Luinder Avila on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness. Outfielder Kyle Isbel also returned from the injured list after finishing his rehab assignment. Avila’s IL move, along with yesterday’s Lane Thomas/Bailey Falter trade, opened spots on both the active roster and the 40-man roster, and Bummer and Isbel now occupy them.
Bummer arrived on a minor league deal a couple of weeks ago after spending a month and a half with the Cubs’ top affiliate. His season has been uneven.
He put up a 7.63 ERA in 15 1/3 innings with the Braves earlier this year, though he has been better in a small sample at Triple-A. He’s in the final season of the two-year, $13MM deal he signed with Atlanta before the 2025 season, and Kansas City is only on the hook for the prorated league minimum.
The rest of his salary is being covered by the Braves.
The Royals are getting a pitcher with a real big-league track record, even if the current results have been rough. Since the start of 2023, Bummer’s 56.9% ground ball rate ranks better than all but 11 qualified relievers.
His overall 5.01 ERA in 183 1/3 innings over that stretch looks a lot worse than the underlying picture from 2023, when he posted a 6.79 ERA but carried expected numbers roughly three runs lower and a very low 55.4% strand rate. From 2024-25, he was much more usable, with a 3.69 ERA in 109 2/3 innings.
This year, though, the warning signs are obvious. His sinker and four-seam velocity are both at career lows, and he has already given up six homers after surrendering just three in 54 1/3 innings last season. Still, Kansas City has some room to let him work through it, especially after selling on Thomas and with the club ten games out of a Wild Card spot.
Avila’s situation is less certain. The 24-year-old began the year in the bullpen before moving into the rotation in June.
Since June 1st, he has made 11 starts and posted a 5.73 ERA across 48 2/3 innings, with below-average strikeout and walk numbers. His 47.0% ground ball rate is above average, but the Royals did not give a timetable for his return.
Forearm tightness, as the source of the injury, is often a warning sign for UCL damage and other serious problems.
Isbel is back after nearly two months out with left plantar fasciitis. Before the injury, he hit .244/.298/.354 with an 80 wRC+ in 56 games.
That production is close to last year’s 79 wRC+, but he still brings value in center field, where he picked up 4 Outs Above Average. He has one more arbitration year left in 2027, and if the bat doesn’t come around, he could be a non-tender candidate after the season.
In Other News...
Royals Bullpen Problems Just Forced A Move Fans Saw Coming
Kansas Citys bullpen had been shaky enough that a change felt inevitable, and the latest move reflected just how little margin the Royals have left in the late innings. Left-handed reliever Matt Strahm, in the middle of a rough second stint with the club, had been hit hard by home runs and struggled to hold up in high-leverage spots, which made his 7.32 ERA in 41 appearances hard to overlook for a team trying to stay afloat.
The roster shuffle opened the door for Jose Cuas, who was brought up from Triple-A Omaha as the Royals reworked the 40-man picture and bought themselves a short window to decide the next step. For Strahm, the coming week now becomes a waiting game, with Kansas City weighing whether another club sees enough to trade for him or whether he clears waivers and moves on from a frustrating stretch that never found much traction. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Left Fans With One Bigger Deadline Frustration
The Royals did make a handful of moves around the trade deadline, including the departures of Lane Thomas and Kris Bubic, and they added a cluster of arms to bolster pitching depth. Lucas Braun, Carter Holton, Nolan Hoffman, Carlos Duran and Nate Pearson all came in as part of that effort, giving Kansas City more inventory to work with as it tries to patch together a deeper staff for the stretch run.
Still, the bigger frustration for fans was what did not happen. John Schreiber and Starling Marte stayed put even though they were widely viewed as the kind of rental pieces contenders often move, leaving the Royals with fewer obvious deadline wins than expected. The result is a familiar one for a team still trying to climb back into serious contention: some useful additions, a few outgoing pieces, and the sense that the most meaningful roster work may have to wait for the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Just Made Their Deadline Priorities Impossible To Ignore
The Royals did not exactly disguise their thinking at the deadline. By holding onto Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo despite outside interest, Kansas City made it clear that controllable starting pitching still mattered more than a quick reset, especially with both arms under team control through 2027 and carrying team options for 2028. In a season where the rotation has been one of the clubs more stable pieces, that kind of long view says plenty about how the front office is trying to balance present needs with future value.
Even so, the move that really defined the deadline was aimed elsewhere, because the bullpen has been the more pressing problem. Kansas City has been dealing with injuries and a relief group that has simply not held up well enough, so the focus now shifts to whether the additions the club did make can help steady those late innings. The deadline left the Royals with a clearer sense of what they believe in, but also an even clearer reminder of what still has to be fixed. [Read more 🡒]