The Kansas City Royals made a swap of lefty relievers before Wednesday night's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, recalling Foster Griffin from Triple-A Omaha and optioning Gabe Speier to the Storm Chasers.
Griffin, a first-round pick in 2014, returned to the big leagues last month for the first time since tearing his UCL in his major league debut — and on his 25th birthday — on July 27, 2020. Griffin has a 13.50 ERA over three appearances with the Royals this season, though he allowed all four of his earned runs in one outing on May 21. He's fared much better in 16 appearances with the Storm Chasers, for whom he has a 1.52 ERA with a .188 opponent batting average, 29 strikeouts and just four walks in 23.2 frames.
Speier has pitched well this season, posting a 2.33 ERA with a .225 opponent batting average, 14 strikeouts and five walks over 19.1 innings, though he did allow two inherited runners to score in the Royals' 12-11 win over the Angels on Tuesday night. With minor league options remaining, he became a prime candidate to be sent to the minors so the Royals could add a fresh arm after using all eight of their relievers on Tuesday.
