Mason

Black

Black has a 4.31 ERA in 31 1/3 innings pitched with the Royals this year. He’s mainly been used as a bulk reliever. After throwing two innings yesterday against the Blue Jays he’ll head down to get his arm fresh for his next MLB appearance.

The 26-year-old hurler has done a decent job in 12 appearances out of the Royals’ bullpen this season, registering a 3.37 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and a 15/11 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings. Aaron Bummer was optioned to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move on Friday to clear a spot in the bullpen.

Black had allowed runs in each of his last four outings after starting the year with a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings over his first eight appearances. He’ll likely be back up in the near future when the Royals need a fresh arm.

The Royals need a fresh arm in the bullpen, so Black will return to Kansas City to operate as a middle-inning option who can work multiple frames if need be.

Despite giving up seven hits and two walks, Black pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings during his two weeks in the majors.

The Royals desperately needed to add a fresh arm to their bullpen mix on Sunday and Black makes perfect sense as he has worked as a starter in the past and can give them multiple innings. He posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 6/5 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings in his first seven appearances at Triple-A Omaha. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Bergert’s departure from camp is a notable development since it virtually guarantees that Noah Cameron will have a rotation spot to open the year. The 26-year-old righty posted a respectable 3.66 ERA (4.32 xERA), 1.26 WHIP and 73/35 K/BB ratio across 76 1/3 innings between the Royals and Padres as a rookie last year. Misner and Rave were candidates for a spot on Kansas City’s bench but will head back to the minors to open the year. They profile as platoon options at the highest level.

There was some hope that Black, who was DFA’d Thursday, would turn into a mid-rotation starter a couple of years back, but he went just 1-5 with a 6.47 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances with the Giants the last two seasons, and his formerly impressive minor league strikeout rates have really fallen off (29% in 2022, 30% in 2023, 24% in 2024, 21% in 2025). He has an option left and the Royals have ample starting pitching depth, so Black figures to open 2026 back in Triple-A.

Black’s removal from San Francisco’s 40-man mix doesn’t come as a shock after he posted a disastrous 6.47 ERA across 40 1/3 innings over 10 appearances (eight starts) in the big leagues over the past two seasons.

Black threw worked four innings in relief during Friday’s game, and the Giants will call up Tristan Beck to provide a fresh multi-inning arm for the San Francisco bullpen.