Kyle Davies leaving last night’s start after just one inning with a shoulder injury was terrible news for Vin Mazzaro, who took one for the team while allowing a remarkable 14 runs in 2.1 innings of relief.
However, it ultimately may be good news for the Royals. Davies has long been one of the worst pitchers in baseball, posting a 5.60 ERA in 748 career innings, and Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that the Royals are calling up prospect Danny Duffy to replace him in the rotation.
Duffy, a 2007 third-round pick who ranked 68th on Baseball America‘s annual list of top prospects this year, will make his MLB debut tomorrow against the Rangers in Kansas City.
He has a 2.59 ERA and 402 strikeouts in 344 pro innings, including a 2.96 ERA and sparkling 84/19 K/BB ratio in 76 innings between Double-A and Triple-A despite being just 22 years old. He joins Eric Hosmer in the long-awaited youth movement arriving slightly ahead of schedule in Kansas City and could be in the rotation for a long time.
