The Royals bullpen has been shaky for most of the 2020 season, and there’s a pitcher the Royals should take a chance on—Jose Rodriguez. The Angels recently designated Rodriguez for assignment. Most of you are probably scratching your head at this. In 2019, he posted a 2.75 ERA in nine games with the Angels. Now, I realize that nine games is a small sample size, but a 2.75 ERA isn’t bad for any pitcher, especially for a 24-year old. The Royals believe that you can never have too many arms in your organization. Rodriguez’s fastball can hit 93-95 mph on the radar gun. He can obviously increase his velocity as he develops. According to www.brooksbaseball.net he has a three-pitch combo. His pitching combo includes a fastball, changeup and a slider. According to sources, the Angels were using him as a swingman in 2019 and parts of the 2020 season, so he has major league experience. With Jorge Lopez heading to the Orioles, I believe Rodriguez could fit with the Royals as a long reliever and possibly start a game from time to time if the Royals had an injury or nowadays a coronavirus case in the rotation. Let’s hope the Royals don’t have to make any more changes to their rotation for the remainder of the 2020 season. Regardless of what happens, I believe the Royals need to take chances on young arms that have been designated for assignment and see if they can find a gem for the future.
