Ynoa making strong bid for Royals bullpen

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- While outfielder Bubba Starling and right-hander Kyle Zimmer certainly qualify as the pleasant surprises for Royals manager Ned Yost so far in camp, another right-hander has caught his eye: non-roster invitee Michael Ynoa.

Ynoa, 27, is a rather intriguing story. As a 16-year-old, Ynoa inked a whopping $4.25 million signing bonus with the Oakland A’s.

But he had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and it never quite worked out with the A’s, who traded Ynoa in '14 along with Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox for Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, Rangel Ravelo and Josh Phegley.

Ynoa pitched in parts of two seasons with the White Sox, appearing in 45 games with a 4.42 ERA, before being released last spring.

“At that point, I just decided to work even harder than I ever had,” Ynoa said.

Ynoa pitched in the Dominican Winter League in 2018-19, and that’s where the got the attention of Royals scouts. Ynoa’s fastball started topping out at 96-97 and he dominated the DWL, posting a 0.78 ERA over 17 relief outings.

Ynoa carried that success into the Cactus League. In two outings, he has pitched four scoreless innings and issued just one walk with two strikeouts.

“He has caught my eye,” Yost said. “Big guy, throws strikes. I really like his slider.”

Yost said Ynoa is definitely in the mix for a bullpen spot.

“The main thing is to just stay healthy,” Ynoa said. “I feel really good now. My velo was dropping pretty good last season, and now I think I have it back to 94-96. And I’m throwing strikes.”

Duffy resumes throwing

Left-hander Danny Duffy, who has yet to make his spring debut because of tightness in his left shoulder, was able to resume his throwing program on Tuesday.

It is uncertain whether Duffy will be ready in time for the regular season. Yost said he will not rush the veteran southpaw.

“The main thing is to have him throwing healthy,” Yost said.

Bailey makes spring debut

Right-hander Homer Bailey, signed to a Minor League deal in the offseason, made his first outing of the season on Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning and striking out one in the Royals' 5-3 win over the D-backs.

Going just one inning was by design, Bailey said.

“No reason to get the engine hot this soon,” Bailey said. “There’s time [to get ready]. I think the plan was just to get my feet wet and go from there.”

Up next

Right-hander Heath Fillmyer, a candidate for the No. 5 spot in the rotation or in the bullpen, will make his spring debut at 2:05 p.m. CT on Wednesday against the Cubs in Mesa.

Fillmyer will be followed by Ynoa, Conner Greene, Josh Staumont, Drew Storen, Andres Machado and Jake Newberry.