Nate

Pearson

Cruz came in with a one-run lead in the eighth inning. Even if he pitched well, he wasn’t likely to come back out for the ninth and get the save. Instead, he gave up a go-ahead two-run home run to Brandon Lowe. Cruz remains in the save mix in Kansas City, though he appears to be slightly behind Nate Pearson in the pecking order based on recent usage.

On for the ninth inning in a four-run game, Cruz instantly served up a solo home run to Yainer Diaz to make this game a bit closer. Daulton Varsho then singled with two outs to put the tying run in the on-deck circle, but Cruz struck out Jorge Barrosa to end the game. Nate Pearson pitched the eighth inning in what was a five run lead at the time and let the Astros score one too. Pearson came in to face the top of their order, so he still appears to be slightly ahead of Cruz in the Royals’ bullpen pecking order.

Pearson made this save as stressful as possible by letting up a single and a walk to begin the ninth with a three run lead. Then, he got tough by striking out Gabriel Moreno with a 98 mph fastball in the zone and forcing Ketel Marte to ground into a double play to end the game. This was Pearson’s first save in nearly three weeks as he continues to split the closer role with Steven Cruz, albeit with a slight edge.

The former top prospect appears to have found a home at the back end of the Royals’ bullpen. He allowed a leadoff double to Javier Baez and a two-out walk to Kevin McGonigle but was able to avoid any damage. Pearson looks to be the favorite for saves in the Royals’ bullpen and should probably be rostered in all mixed leagues at this point.

Craig Kimbrel, on the other hand, got four outs between the sixth and seventh to keep the game scoreless. For one night anyway, that’s advantage Kimbrel in the Royals’ closer battle. Steven Cruz, who is still probably the favorite for saves at this point, didn’t work tonight after picking up a save Friday.

Pearson gave up a leadoff double to Michael Conforto, but he then got Dansby Swanson to popout and struck out both Pedro Ramírez and Pete Crow-Armstrong. He’s thrown 5 2/3 scoreless innings for Kansas City since being dropped by the Astros. There isn’t any particular reason to be optimistic about the former top prospect at this point, but he might keep getting save chances in the beleaguered Royals bullpen.

Pearson was designated for assignment by the Astros on Sunday after pitching to a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 16/12 K/BB ratio over 20 innings. The 29-year-old was a former top prospect with the Blue Jays before injuries stalled his progress. This is an intriguing gamble for the Royals. Martin is a 10th-round pick from the 2025 MLB Draft who is currently pitching in High-A.

The 29-year-old right-hander pitched decently in 16 appearances for the Astros this season, posting a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 16/12 K/BB ratio over 20 innings. He flashed enough during that stretch that he could generate some interest on waivers from bullpen-needy clubs.

With Bryan King resting, Pearson got the call over Bryan Abreu, who worked a scoreless eighth to set him up. Pearson walked Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the ninth, but he retired Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch and Alex Bregman afterwards. Pearson topped out at 100.4 mph today, but it’s kind of surprising the Astros have been so quick to trust him after he walked 11 in 8 2/3 innings during his minor league rehab assignment. Ability has never really been the question with Pearson, but we wouldn’t rush to pick him up at this point.

Pearson figures to operate in a versatile swingman-type role, typically handling long relief situations, after missing the first seven weeks of the season recovering from elbow surgery. The 29-year-old was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball earlier in his career with the Blue Jays, but never quite panned out as a traditional starter or reliever. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes at the moment.