The Kansas City Royals got some welcome relief on Sunday, reinstating left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm from the 15-day injured list.
Strahm had been sidelined since May 16 with right knee inflammation, an issue that manager Matt Quatraro said he had been pitching through for most of the year before it flared up during a ninth-inning appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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In a corresponding move, the club optioned right-hander Eric Cerantola back to Triple-A Omaha.
What Strahm Means for This Bullpen
The timing of the return matters for a Royals team that has struggled throughout the first two months of the season.
Kansas City enters Sunday at 22-36, sitting fourth in the American League Central, and the bullpen has been a big part of the problem.
The relief unit had been carrying a 4.50 ERA with a 13.4 percent walk rate that ranked near the bottom of the league before Strahm went down, and things only got rougher without him.
Closer Carlos Estevez, who led MLB with 42 saves in 2025, has been out for much of the year with a foot injury.
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Nick Mears just hit the injured list Friday with a right shoulder impingement, and starters Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic have both been shelved due to elbow problems.
Daniel Lynch IV has been a bright spot with a strong ERA out of the pen, but the group around him has not been able to hold things together consistently.
Why Strahm Was Brought to Kansas City
Kansas City re-acquired Strahm from the Philadelphia Phillies in December, sending right-hander Jonathan Bowlan the other way in a one-for-one trade.
The whole idea behind the deal was to bring in a proven lefty who could handle late-inning work alongside setup man Lucas Erceg, and Strahm had done exactly that before the knee became an issue.
Over 17 appearances and 16.1 innings, the 34-year-old posted a 3.86 ERA with 17 strikeouts and seven walks while recording eight holds and nine scoreless outings.
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That production was a step back from the numbers he put up in Philadelphia, where he earned All-Star honors in 2024 and followed that up with a 2.74 ERA over 62.1 innings in 2025.
But even at a slightly lower level, Strahm gave the Royals something they badly needed in a left-handed arm they could trust with the game on the line.
The Cerantola Decision
Cerantola heading back to Omaha was strictly a roster numbers move, and the 26-year-old right-hander should not be gone for long.
The Canadian-born reliever had been recalled earlier this month after flashing a 1.42 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 12.2 innings at Triple-A, and he figures to get more opportunities as the season goes on.
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But at this point, the Royals needed the proven arm more than the young one, and getting Strahm back healthy fills one of the few gaps they can address without outside help.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
