Latest moves bring Royals' Opening Day roster into focus

SURPRISE, Ariz. – The Royals made a flurry of roster moves on Tuesday as the Opening Day roster begins to take shape, most notably optioning right-hander Ryan Bergert to Triple-A Omaha.

Bergert was one of the main competitors for a rotation spot this spring, but the Royals opted instead to have him in Triple-A to begin the season so he can stay stretched out as a starter and likely be the first one they call on when they need depth.

“He had a great spring,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He pitched really well for us at the end of last year, and he’s come in and done it again this spring. But we have to thin it out, and we have to make a decision here at the end. We’ve talked about putting him in the bullpen, but we just figure at this time, keep him stretched out and get him built up as a starter.

“... He probably deserves to be on the team in some role, but our decision right now is to preserve the depth. We know it’s unlikely to only use five starters throughout the season, and he’s a really quality option.”

With Bergert being sent down, the rotation looks clearer. Cole Ragans was named the Opening Day starter on Tuesday and will start on March 27 against the Braves. From there, it’s likely going to be some combination of Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Noah Cameron, which is what the projected five-man rotation was at the beginning of camp. Following Ragans, the Royals haven’t announced or set the order for their rotation.

The Royals still have to make a decision about Bailey Falter’s role, though, and Tuesday night offered a glimpse into their thinking. Falter was originally supposed to start the Cactus League game against the Dodgers at Surprise Stadium; instead, they had him come out of the bullpen for his scheduled three innings.

“We’re trying to work through, versatility-wise … if he’s going to be able to come out of the ‘pen,” Quatraro said. “How adaptable he is to that if that’s the decision we make.”

It seemed to go pretty well on Tuesday; Falter threw three perfect innings with five strikeouts against the Dodgers, who didn’t play most of their everyday players, and averaged 93.8 mph with his four-seam, about 1.7 mph higher than last year’s average.

“Coming out of the bullpen now, it’s kind of like an F-you mentality,” Falter said. “Here it is, hit it.”

“... They told me I’d have the swingman role out of the bullpen, told me I could be in there for anywhere from two innings to five innings. They didn’t really fill me in on it too much other than that, but my job is to take the ball whenever they call on me, and I plan on doing that.”

The Royals have discussed a six-man rotation to open the season, where a pitcher – such as Falter – could pitch out of the bullpen if he’s needed for the first series of the year in Atlanta and then slot in as the sixth starter when the Royals play a stretch of 12 games in a row before their next off-day on April 13.

The other roster moves the Royals made Tuesday included optioning right-hander Mason Black and outfielders Kameron Misner and John Rave to Triple-A Omaha.

Black, Misner and Rave were all long shots to make the Opening Day roster but will serve as depth. Black will likely be a starter or multi-inning reliever who could fill both roles when Kansas City needs him at the Major League level, and he impressed this spring, as he didn’t allow a run in eight Cactus League innings.

The Royals still have to decide on who will round out their bullpen and bench before Opening Day. Falter’s role will have implications for the bullpen, but if he’s on the staff, there’s one or two spots open for competition. Alex Lange figures to take one of those, while the last one will come down to Daniel Lynch IV, Steven Cruz, Luinder Avila and others.

The bench is more up in the air because of injuries. Second baseman Michael Massey is still recovering from a left calf strain but is getting at-bats in Minor League backfield games. If he’s healthy by Opening Day, he’ll take one of those roster spots. The final spot will come down to Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert or a mix of non-roster invites like Abraham Toro, Brandon Drury, Josh Rojas and Kevin Newman.