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Royals sign recently released Athletics reliever with 6.48 ERA
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- Royals sign recently released Athletics reliever with 6.48 ERA
Royals sign recently released Athletics reliever with 6.48 ERA originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Kansas City Royals brought back a familiar pitcher to the organization on Thursday.
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The AL Central club announced that right-hander Scott Barlow signed a minor league contract.
The 33-year-old spent parts of his first six seasons in the Majors with the Royals, becoming a valuable late-game pitcher in their bullpen.
After short stints with the San Diego Padres , Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds , he joined the Athletics during the offseason.
His tenure with the A's didn't go smoothly, as he allowed 24 earned runs on 26 hits in 33.1 innings. That resulted in an ugly 6.48 ERA in 36 appearances.
The A's released Barlow on June 24 after he cleared waivers.
"This year's 12.5% walk rate is a problem, but it wouldn't be especially surprising if some of that stemmed from trying to nibble to avoid the long ball in the launching pads where he played his home games," Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors wrote about Barlow.
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"Barlow walked 15.1% of his opponents while pitching at home during his A's tenure. On the road, it was a far more manageable 9.1%."
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The Royals are at the bottom of the American League standings in terms of bullpen ERA.
Allowing Barlow to see if he can make an impact, even in low-leverage situations, would help with depth.
