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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Throwing, but timeline uncertain
Will Smith recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions, but he's still experiencing back tightness and is without a clear timeline for a return from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.Smith had been contending with back issues for several weeks before the Kansas City Royals placed him on the IL on Aug. 26. Though it's encouraging that Smith hasn't been shut down from throwing, he'll likely need the soreness in his back to subside a bit more before the Royals are comfortable bringing him back. It's unclear if Smith has a legitimate chance at being activated before the regular season ends Sept. 29.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Placed on IL with back spasms
The Kansas City Royals placed Will Smith on the 15-day injured list Monday with low-back spasms.Smith had been bludgeoned for 14 runs over 4.2 innings cover his last five appearances. It's not clear how long he might be sidelined. Carlos Hernandez was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take Smith's spot on the active roster and in the bullpen.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Handed loss Friday
Will Smith (0-4) allowed two runs on a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus the Cardinals.Smith put two runners on base and Chris Stratton allowed both of them to score. Prior to Friday, Smith had posted a seven-inning scoreless streak. He has a 3.48 ERA over 10.1 innings since the start of July, but he remains in a low-leverage role even with the overall struggles of the Kansas City Royals' bullpen. Overall, Smith is at a 4.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 24:14 K:BB with one save, eight holds and one blown save across 37 innings this season.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Takes third loss
Will Smith (0-3) allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one in one-third of an inning to take the loss Friday versus the Dodgers.Smith gave up a run for the first time since May 22, though it was deemed unearned since Mookie Betts advanced to second base on an error before Freddie Freeman brought him home with an RBI single. After a rough start to the year cost him his high-leverage role, Smith has allowed just three runs (two earned) over his last 14.2 innings, though he has a mediocre 10:3 K:BB in that span. The veteran southpaw is at a 5.40 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB with one save, five holds and one blown save through 21.2 innings overall.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Handling low-leverage role well
Will Smith has allowed two runs over nine innings since the start of May.Smith doesn't have the best control, having allowed six hits and three walks with just five strikeouts in that span. He's also picked up two of his four holds in that stretch, though manager Matt Quatraro has mostly kept Smith out of high-leverage situations since early April. The left-hander's season-long numbers remain poor (6.38 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 12:8 K:BB), but he's been less volatile recently. With James McArthur, John Schreiber and Chris Stratton all pitching at a mediocre level in May, there could eventually be a path to high-leverage chances for Smith if he can keep performing well.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Pulled from save situation
Will Smith was removed from a save situation Friday against the White Sox. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one-third of an inning.Called upon to protect a one-run lead, Smith struck out Yoan Moncada but then allowed a double and a walk to the next two batters he faced. That was enough for manager Matt Quatraro, who replaced Smith with James McArthur. The right-handed McArthur came through with a double play to secure the save, and with that, we may have witnessed a changing of the guard in the ninth inning for Kansas City. There have been no formal announcements in that regard, but Smith already had two losses, one blown save and six earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings this season before Friday's messy outing.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Blows save against O's
Will Smith (0-2) was charged with his first blown save of the season Wednesday and took the loss against Baltimore, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. he struck out one.Entering the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Kansas City Royals ahead 3-2, the veteran lefty loaded the bases on two walks and a single before James McCann walked it off with a line drive to left field. Smith has had a rough start to the season, coughing up six runs in his first 2.2 innings with a 2:4 K:BB, but James McArthur is also struggling and has allowed at least one run in all three of his appearances, including a two-spot Wednesday. Should someone else in the bullpen step up, Smith's hold on the closer role for Kansas City seems tenuous at best.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Notches first save
Will Smith threw a scoreless ninth inning and struck out one batter to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Orioles.Smith surrendered four runs in one inning during his season debut Saturday, but he was able to shake it off and turn in a flawless outing Tuesday to pick up his first save of the new campaign. The 34-year-old seems to still be the Kansas City Royals' preferred choice to handle the ninth inning, but John Schreiber, who threw a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday for his second hold of the year, and James McArthur remain in the conversation for save opportunities.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Takes first loss
Will Smith (0-1) was charged with the loss after he surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks during the ninth inning Saturday versus the Twins.Smith entered for the ninth inning with the game tied 1-1 and immediately induced a groundout, but Minnesota then rallied for four runs as five of the next six batters reached base. Notably, he was lined up for the save chance before James McArthur, who is also in the mix at closer, blew a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning, but Smith's rough season debut certainly won't help his standing. John Schreiber is the third option in the potential closing committee and delivered a scoreless seventh Saturday.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Royals' Will Smith: Light work in spring
Will Smith struck out two batters over a perfect inning in his lone Cactus League appearance.Smith is seen as the frontrunner for saves in the Kansas City Royals' heavily remodeled bullpen group. He's topped 20 saves in three of the last five seasons and also has an extensive history in a setup role when he's not closing. The 34-year-old southpaw likely won't need much spring action to be ready for the campaign. Manager Matt Quatraro hasn't officially designated bullpen roles yet, but Smith's experience makes him the logical ninth-inning choice, though there are plenty of other options that could step up if this becomes a committee or performance-based closing situation.