Royals' Luinder Avila: Earns first win of season Monday
Rotowire
Avila (1-2) earned the win Monday against the Reds after tossing five innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out five.
Avila entered the rotation after Cole Ragans (elbow) suffered a setback in his recovery process that will force him to remain on the 15-day injured list, but the 24-year-old right-hander was up to the task Monday and earned the win despite his command issues. In fact, the lone run he allowed came on a solo homer from JJ Bleday in the bottom of the first inning. It remains to be seen whether Avila will make another start, but if he stays in the rotation, he'd be lined up to go against the Twins on the road over the weekend. Avila has made two starts and 11 appearances this season, posting a 4.44 ERA and 1.71 WHIP across 26.1 innings.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Entering rotation Monday
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Manager Matt Quatraro said Saturday that Avila will start Monday's game against the Reds, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
With Cole Ragans (elbow) set to spend more time on the 15-day injured list than the Royals originally expected following a setback, Kansas City will turn to Avila to temporarily fill the fifth spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty struggled to find his footing in the majors early in the season but has settled in as of late, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 14.1 frames since the beginning of May. He likely won't be able to handle a full starter's workload Monday after throwing just 67 pitches over three frames during his last appearance Tuesday against the Yankees, and he'll also be tasked with taking on a Reds lineup that's posted a .742 OPS across its last 10 games.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Tosses three scoreless innings
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Avila allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three across three scoreless innings Tuesday against Boston.
Avila entered after opener Bailey Falter allowed two runs over the first two innings and provided Kansas City with valuable length out of the bullpen. The right-hander limited Boston to just one hit across his three innings while continuing a strong recent stretch. Avila has now put together four consecutive scoreless appearances, improving his season line to a 4.42 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB across 18.1 innings in his second season with Kansas City.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Struggles in first big-league start
Rotowire
Avila (0-1) took the loss Saturday against the Brewers, allowing five runs on eight hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out four.
Making his first career major-league start, Avila was tagged for four extra-base hits Saturday. The right-hander lacked control on top of his poor pitch location, tossing only 40 of his 73 pitches for strikes. Michael Wacha needed his turn in the Kansas City rotation skipped this weekend to deal with an illness, so the expectation is that Avila was just making a spot start against Milwaukee and may head back to the minor leagues shortly.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Set for spot start
Rotowire
Avila will draw the start on the mound Friday against the Brewers, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Avila was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, and he will now be tasked with taking the bump in the Royals' series opener against Milwaukee on Friday. The right-hander will replace Michael Wacha (illness) on the mound as Wacha is dealing with an apparent illness. Avila posted 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 16 strikeouts over 14 innings in 13 appearances with Kansas City in 2025, and Friday's start will be his first as a major leaguer.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Avila from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Avila turned in a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 14 innings in the big leagues last season and will now join the big club for the first time this year. He made it through just three innings during his first start of the season in Triple-A, so he likely isn't stretched out enough to join Kansas City's rotation and therefore figures to act as a multi-inning reliever for the Royals.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Royals optioned Avila to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
Avila entered spring training as a candidate to make the Royals' Opening Day bullpen after giving up just two earned runs in 14 innings toward the end of last season. He continued to find success on the mound in the Cactus League, allowing one run in four frames, but he will officially head back to Triple-A to open the new campaign. The Royals may wait until the 24-year-old righty is stretched out as a starter before giving him another trial in the majors.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Key relief effort in WBC win
Rotowire
Avila allowed two hits and a hit-by-pitch across 2.1 scoreless innings Monday in Team Venezuela's 4-2 win over Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He struck out one.
Avila provided valuable length in what amounted to an all-hands-on-deck bullpen game, entering in the fourth inning and recording seven crucial outs without allowing a run to keep Italy at two runs and help fuel Venezuela's comeback victory to reach the World Baseball Classic championship game. Across two WBC appearances, the young right-hander has allowed an unearned run on three hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches while tallying three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Coming off a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 14 relief innings with the Royals last season, Avila is a candidate to make the Opening Day roster out of the bullpen, though he could also be stretched out as a starter at Triple-A Omaha.
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Royals' Luinder Avila: Returns from IL
Rotowire
Triple-A Omaha reinstated Avila (shoulder) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.
Avila appears ready to slot back into the Omaha rotation for the first time since late May after missing more than two months while recovering from a right shoulder impingement. The 23-year-old made three rehab appearances for High-A Quad Cities prior to being activated, covering six innings and striking out 10 while allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks.
