Zerpa is coming up to replace Chris Stratton, who was placed on the injured list. He has a 4.40 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 47 innings for the Royals this year.

This is all about having a fresh arm in the bullpen. Zerpa has thrown 49 pitches in the last two days and the Royals have eight games coming up this week, including a doubleheader on Monday, so they couldn’t afford to have a pitcher in the bullpen who was not able to throw. Zerpa should be back up soon. Daniel Lynch IV was called up to give the Royals a fresh arm.

The Royals remain committed to Jordan Lyles because the GM signed him to a ridiculous contract, but Zerpa, Daniel Lynch IV and Alec Marsh probably clear the low bar as better No. 5-starter options this season. All three are likely ticketed for Triple-A right now, but if any has a chance of being carried as a reliever, it’s probably Zerpa, who has a 3.84 ERA in six starts and 13 relief appearances over the last three seasons.

It was easily Zerpa’s best start of his AFL campaign. The 24-year-old allowed just one hit in his three innings while striking out six batters. He needed just 45 pitches to get nine outs, and 31 were strikes. The southpaw was assigned to the Arizona Fall League after missing most of the season with a shoulder injury and could factor in as a multi-inning reliever or spot starter for the Royals next season.