The Reds released Zimmer on Aug. 9.
After making 52 appearances in the majors for Kansas City in 2021, Zimmer joined the Reds on a minor-league deal this offseason and was unable to earn a spot in Cincinnati's Opening Day bullpen. Over his 30 innings at Triple-A Louisville this season, Zimmer posted a 6.90 ERA and 1.97 WHIP.
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Reds' Kyle Zimmer: Won't make Opening Day roster
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The Reds moved Zimmer to minor-league camp Tuesday.
Zimmer was one of four Reds pitchers removed from big-league camp in the organization's latest round of roster cuts in advance of Opening Day. The 30-year-old right-hander had made 83 appearances for the Royals over the past three seasons, producing a 5.19 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 7.5 K-BB% across 95.1 innings. He'll likely begin the season as a member of the bullpen at Triple-A Louisville.
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Reds' Kyle Zimmer: Lands in Cincinnati
Rotowire
Zimmer signed with the Reds as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Zimmer owns a 5.19 ERA in 95.1 career major-league innings, walking 14.2 percent of opposing batters, so he's unlikely to find himself pitching in high-leverage innings should he make the roster.
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Kyle Zimmer: Released by Royals
Rotowire
The Royals requested unconditional release waivers on Zimmer on Monday.
Zimmer was designated for assignment by the Royals on Friday and will now be free to seek out other opportunities. He made 52 appearances (two starts) in the majors during the 2021 campaign and posted a 4.83 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 54 innings.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Zimmer was designated for assignment by the Royals on Friday.
It took a long time, but the Royals have finally given up on Zimmer, to some extent. He logged a 4.83 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 52 appearances last season.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Gives up homer Monday
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Zimmer allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits in one inning during Monday's 8-3 loss to Cleveland.
Zimmer gave up a solo home run to his brother, Cleveland outfielder Bradley Zimmer, and a sacrifice fly by Andres Gimenez yielded another run. The 30-year-old Zimmer hasn't been very effective in September with seven runs allowed (five earned) across seven innings. He now has a 5.12 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 44:29 K:BB, two saves and 10 holds through 51 innings overall.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Logs clean inning
Rotowire
Zimmer pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to Baltimore.
Since he returned from neck spasms Aug. 23, Zimmer has logged 4.1 innings. He's allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in that span. The right-hander was working in a high-leverage spots prior to the injury, but he's taken a less prominent role lately with no decisions, saves or holds since July 27. He has a 4.76 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 43:27 K:BB with two saves, 10 holds, one blown save and a 4-1 record in 45.1 innings this year.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Returns from injury
Rotowire
Zimmer (neck) was reinstated from the injured list Monday.
Zimmer wound up missing just shy of three weeks due to neck spasms. He was pitching fairly well for most of the season, posting a 3.46 ERA through his first 37 appearances, but he struggled over his final four outings prior to landing on the injured list, giving up seven runs in two innings of work while walking six batters. Assuming he can recapture the form he showed for most of the season, he could fill an important role in the Royals' bullpen down the stretch.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Set to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Zimmer (neck) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Zimmer landed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 4 due to neck spasms, but he'll return to game action a week later. The right-hander isn't eligible to return until this weekend but shouldn't require many rehab appearances following his brief absence.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Takes first loss
Rotowire
Zimmer (4-1) allowed two runs on a hit and a walk with one strikeout in one-third of an inning, taking a blown save and the loss Tuesday versus the White Sox.
Jake Brentz didn't pitch well ahead of Zimmer in the eighth inning, but it was the latter who allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to Eloy Jimenez. The loss was the first of the year for Zimmer, but he's been struggling throughout July with 10 runs allowed in his last 10.1 innings. The right-hander owns a 4.17 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 40:21 K:BB while notching two saves and 10 holds through 41 innings overall.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Shaky run in July
Rotowire
Zimmer has allowed six runs in his last 4.1 innings.
Zimmer pitched solidly through the first three months of the season, but the right-hander has not enjoyed the same success in July. He's yielded runs in four of his last five outings, pushing his ERA up 3.62 through 37.1 innings overall. The 29-year-old should still be a candidate for some high-leverage work, but Wade Davis' return from a forearm injury could further crowd a very fluid bullpen situation in Kansas City.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Tosses scoreless outing as opener
Rotowire
Zimmer didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Rangers after tossing a scoreless inning, giving up two walks and fanning two.
Zimmer worked as the opener in this contest and tossed one scoreless inning before being lifted in favor of Kris Bubic, who was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs across two-thirds of an inning. Zimmer has allowed two runs across 3.1 innings in relief this week and should remain a dependable arm for Kansas City going forward, as he owns a 2.40 ERA across 30.0 innings in 2021.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Serving as opener Saturday
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Zimmer will serve as the opener in Saturday's game against the Rangers, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Zimmer made three relief appearances across the last week, and he allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one in 2.1 innings during that time. However, he'll serve as an opener for the second time this year in Saturday's contest, while southpaw Kris Bubic will likely serve as the primary pitcher.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Works two innings as opener
Rotowire
Zimmer pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out three in Friday's 5-3 win over Boston. He did not factor in the decision.
Zimmer was effective as the opener Friday. He's drawn a little bit of high-leverage work out of the bullpen this year with two saves, three wins and four holds across 23 appearances. The right-hander sports a 2.03 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB across 26.2 innings, and he's only given up runs in three of his outings.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Starting Friday against Red Sox
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Zimmer will be the starting pitcher for Friday's game against Boston.
Jackson Kowar was in line to start the series opener, but with the rookie getting hit hard in his first two big-league outings, Zimmer will take the ball to begin the tilt. Zimmer has pitched exclusively in relief this season and hasn't tossed more than two innings during an outing since early April, so he'll almost surely be serving as an opener, possibly for Kowar.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Posts third hold
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Zimmer allowed two walks and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings to earn a hold in Sunday's 6-3 win over Minnesota.
The 29-year-old relieved starter Brad Keller to begin the sixth inning. Zimmer allowed multiple baserunners for just the fifth time in 16 outings this season. He's been an effective bullpen option with a 2.37 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB across 19 innings. With Josh Staumont (knee) on the injured list, Greg Holland converted the save Sunday, but Zimmer has picked up two saves and three holds this year. He could be in the closer conversation moving forward.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Notches second save
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Zimmer walked one batter in two-thirds of an inning Tuesday to record his second save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Rays.
Josh Staumont hadn't pitched since Saturday, but it was still Zimmer who got the call from manager Mike Matheny in the save situation. The 29-year-old righty wasn't exactly sharp, walking the first batter he faced, but he then induced a game-ending double play from Francisco Mejia. Zimmer appears to have become part of the high-leverage mix since being activated from the IL last week, but Staumont likely remains the top closing option for the team.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Picks up third win
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Zimmer (3-0) pitched two perfect innings and struck out three batters to earn the win Sunday versus Detroit.
Zimmer kept Kansas City within a run with his strong pitching, and he received the win when Carlos Santana walked it off with a two-run home run. The right-hander has been effective with a 2.76 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB across 16.1 innings this season. He's able to take on multi-inning assignments, but he's also collected a save and two holds. The 29-year-old could see more high-leverage work based on his performance so far.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Scoreless inning in return
Rotowire
Zimmer allowed a hit and struck out one in one scoreless inning in Friday's 7-5 loss to Detroit.
Zimmer entered the contest to pitch the eighth inning, and he did so fairly well. He only gave up a double to Jake Rogers. Zimmer missed three weeks with a back injury. The right-hander has a 3.14 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB across 14.1 innings this season. He's collected two wins, a save and two holds in 12 outings -- if he continues to pitch well, high-leverage work could be on the horizon.
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Royals' Kyle Zimmer: Starts rehab assignment
Rotowire
Zimmer (back) reported to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday for a rehab assignment.
The 29-year-old landed on the shelf May 1 with a strained left trapezius, so he should only need a couple outings at Triple-A before rejoining the Royals. Zimmer had a 3.38 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB over 13.1 innings prior to suffering the injury.
