Royals call up Will Klein, Alec Marsh to the Injured List
The right-hander will make his MLB debut
The Royals have called up right-handed reliever Will Klein and have placed Alec Marsh on the Injured List with a right elbow contusion. Marsh was struck in the forearm by a line-drive in his start last night, although X-rays were negative.
Klein was originally a fifth-round pick in 2020 out of Eastern Illinois. He rose quickly with high strikeout rates, but high walk rates as well, posting a 4.62 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A, but with a 30 percent strikeout rate. This year he has allowed just one unearned run in 11 innings of work with 12 strikeouts an 6 walks for Omaha. He represented the Royals last summer at the Futures Game during All-Star week.
Klein is currently ranked #24 in the Royals farm system by MLB Pipeline. Their scouting report on him praises his fastball.
Klein has a ton of upside because of his fastball. He throws it in the upper 90s and flashes triple digits at times when healthy. It features riding action and speeds up on hitters because of his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. He has a low-80s curveball with good depth that throws off hitters’ timing, and he added a power changeup to his arsenal last year, though it’s mostly been scrapped during his move to Triple-A this season. Over the offseason, Klein worked on a slider, which he threw some in 2021 as an option to steal strikes as a smaller, tighter breaking ball. It now sits in the upper-80s and has usurped the curve as Klein’s most-thrown secondary as it generates a good amount of whiffs.
Klein impressed in spring training, striking out eight in 4 2/3 innings, while allowing two runs. His performance drew praise from Royals coaches.
“He’s a perfect bullpen piece,” pitching coach Brian Sweeney said recently. “He’s got that late-inning reliever mentality. He’s got the beard. … You sense a quiet confidence about him. An arrogance in a good way that a reliever needs when he comes in tough situations.”
Marsh was 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts this year. His turn in the rotation will come again on Monday in Toronto. The Royals could turn to reliever Angel Zerpa, recall Anthony Veneziano or Daniel Lynch IV, promote Jonathan Bowlan, or have a bullpen game. Jordan Lyles could also be an option if he returns by that date, but he is currently on the restricted list attending to a personal matter, and is not stretched out to make starts.