KANSAS CITY -- For all the talk about his versatility as a starter and a reliever, Jakob Junis has given the Royals some much-needed stability in the rotation in his two starts. After his latest efficient outing on Thursday against the Blue Jays, the right-hander is making a case to stay in the rotation full time.

Junis earned his first win since Sept. 4, 2019, on Thursday, snapping a streak of 13 appearances (nine starts) in which he went 0-4. He was tagged for two runs when he left the game with none out in the sixth inning, but he struck out six and yielded just one walk on 81 pitches. That outing followed five scoreless innings against Cleveland last week, when he threw 54 pitches.

"We're just at that point where we can keep pushing Jake a little bit further,” manager Mike Matheny said on Thursday. “He went out [against Cleveland] expecting it to be a pretty short outing, next thing you know, he's sailing out there through five. This one [against Toronto], we're trying to just get him kind of a little more acclimated, pushing that count a little bit higher. But I thought his mentality of how he was going about pitching, it was exactly what we were looking for."

Junis has been aggressive in the strike zone with his fastball and cutter, which has helped play up his slider. He said he’s throwing his signature pitch sharper this year, and the velocity is up on it as well. The cutter has been a welcome addition to his arsenal this season, but his mentality has been different, too.

“I think it starts before the game,” Junis said. “Mentally, just being relaxed, confident, poised going out there. Not trying to overthink things or do too much, just pitch to my strengths, and it’s been working so far.”

His turn in the rotation will come up again on Wednesday against the Rays at Kauffman Stadium, and while the Royals haven’t announced their probable pitchers yet, it’s hard to ignore what Junis has done as a starter after two appearances in the bullpen to start the season.

“We've just been trying to feel our way through, what is going to be best for Jake and what's going to be best for our club,” Matheny said. “But to me, he's making this obvious that this is what he wants. He wants to take that fifth spot and he wants to roll with it. I like watching him do it.”

Royals make a trade

On Saturday, Kansas City acquired right-hander Eduardo Herrera from the D-backs for outfielder Nick Heath, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

Herrera, 21, was signed out of Venezuela in 2016, and was a catcher and an infielder in the Dominican Summer League from 2017-18, hitting .208/.363/.292 in those two years. He was converted to a pitcher in 2019, and he struck out 38 batters in 23 2/3 innings across 22 relief appearances between the Arizona League and Class A Hillsboro. Herrera posted a 4.56 ERA in ’19 with 11 saves.

Heath, 27, was DFA'd on Wednesday to make room on the roster for right-hander Ervin Santana. The Royals selected the outfielder in the 16th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and he made his debut in Kansas City last season, appearing in 15 games. He had two hits in 13 at-bats, including a double, to go with two stolen bases.

Heath brought valuable speed to Kansas City's bench and outfield, but he was in a crowded outfield mix this spring after the club signed Jarrod Dyson and promoted Kyle Isbel.

Worth noting

• The Royals have right-hander Brady Singer listed as Sunday’s starter to wrap up the series against the Blue Jays, pushing him back one day due to Saturday’s doubleheader. That likely means lefty Danny Duffy will be pushed to Monday.

• Lefty reliever Richard Lovelady served as the 27th man on the Royals' roster for both games of Saturday’s twin bill. Both teams added an extra player for the seven-inning games.

• Matheny said on Thursday that Adalberto Mondesi (right oblique strain) is progressing well in his recovery, but there’s no timeframe for his return. The shortstop has been able to participate in more activities this week than he could when he was first diagnosed with the injury before Opening Day.

“They seem very happy with where he is to where he’s starting to do some more movements,” Matheny said. “And that’s always a good step in the right direction.”