Zerpa (5-1) earned the win in Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Rangers. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings.
The left-hander entered in relief of Michael Lorenzen with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game in the fifth inning Thursday and induced an inning-ending double play before tossing a perfect sixth frame. Zerpa has been on a roll, stringing together seven straight scoreless outings and posting a 2.43 ERA over 29.2 innings across his past 30 appearances.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Opening Wednesday's contest
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Zerpa will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa owns a 3.77 ERA and 1.30 WHIP through 43 innings and has pitched primarily in middle relief this season, but the Royals will have him start his second game of the campaign after he previously served as an opener July 12 versus the Mets. The 25-year-old southpaw likely won't cover more than an inning or two before exiting the contest.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Starting Saturday's contest
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Zerpa will start Saturday's game against the Mets.
Zerpa will take the mound in the first inning on short notice, as original starter Michael Lorenzen was scratched due to an illness. Zerpa owns a 3.89 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 39.1 innings this season, though he likely won't remain in the game for more than an inning or two before turning the game over to Kansas City's bullpen.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Improving after slow start
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Zerpa threw 1.2 scoreless innings in Sunday's 1-0 loss against the Tigers. He lowered his ERA to 5.01
Zerpa has improved after a few rough outings in March and early May, as he has a 1.08 ERA and 0.60 WHIP since May 16. However, he's seen a significant drop in his strikeout rate to 13.6 percent from 20.5 percent in 2024. He still has plus velocity with an average 96.0 mph fastball, so there's hope for a turnaround. He has just two holds as his slow start has limited his high-leverage usage, but he's still a key lefty in the setup corps.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Looks sharp this spring
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Zerpa threw a scoreless inning in Friday's spring training win over the Angels. He's thrown four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks this spring.
Zerpa became a high-leverage weapon last season thanks to a sinker with high velocity (it reached 99 mph last year, according to MLB.com) that helped lead to a 58.4% groundball rate. He'll be a key lefty in the late innings and could be a good source of holds (12 last season).
Zerpa (2-0) earned the extra-inning win over the Nationals on Tuesday, pitching a perfect inning.
Zerpa worked the ninth inning in a scoreless game, and he was able to keep it that way. He's allowed just one hit while striking out six over four innings across four appearances since he rejoined the major-league roster Sept. 14. The left-handed reliever is at a 4.06 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 47:18 K:BB with 10 holds and a blown save over 51 innings in the majors this season.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Recalled from Omaha
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The Royals recalled Zerpa from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
With Chris Stratton (forearm) headed for the injured list, the Royals will call upon Zerpa to help get their bullpen through the final couple weeks of the regular season. The 24-year-old southpaw owns a 4.40 ERA and 1.57 WHIP through 47 big-league innings on the year and will most likely serve in middle relief while with Kansas City.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Sent down to minors
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The Royals optioned Zerpa to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
Zerpa leads Kansas City with 53 appearances this season and has pitched well for the bulk of the campaign, but in August, he's turned in a 9.82 ERA and 4:8 K:BB in 7.1 frames. Daniel Lynch was called up from Triple-A to take Zerpa's spot in the bullpen.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Secures first win
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Zerpa (1-0) struck out one without allowing a baserunner over two-thirds of an inning to earn the win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
Zerpa's had a strong season, but his overall numbers are skewed by a five-run meltdown versus the Rangers last Saturday. It was just the third time all year he had allowed multiple runs, and he bounced back with a sharp outing Wednesday to grab his first win. Zerpa is at a 3.41 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB over 29 innings while adding eight holds and a blown save. The southpaw saw increased high-leverage work in May, but the Royals have gone 9-14 in June, creating fewer opportunities for him to pitch in key situations. Zerpa should continue to factor in the late innings, but he's not yet a threat to James McArthur's closer job.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Gaining traction in leverage spots
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Zerpa extended his scoreless streak to 7.2 innings with a perfect inning in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Athletics.
Zerpa's scoreless streak spans nine appearances, and he's earned five holds while adding an 8:0 K:BB in that span. The southpaw came up through the minors as a starter, but he's found some success in the Royals' bullpen this year. He's up to seven holds through 20 appearances while pitching to a 1.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 20:3 K:BB over 18.1 innings this season. Zerpa has yet to get a look for saves, but he's been one of the Royals' most effective relievers over the first quarter-plus of the campaign.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Returning to bullpen
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Manager Matt Quatraro said Wednesday that Zerpa will begin the season in the Royals' bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Twelve of Zerpa's 15 MLB appearances last season came out of the bullpen, and he'll officially reprise his role as a multi-inning reliever in 2024. A strong start to the regular season could help the 24-year-old southpaw move into the rotation, but Zerpa would have to turn things around after giving up seven earned runs across 9.2 innings this spring.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Strikes out five in spring start
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Zerpa allowed a run on two hits and struck out five without walking a batter over three innings in his first spring start Wednesday versus the Mariners.
Zerpa's first two appearances of the Cactus League slate had come out of the bullpen, but the Royals are intent on keeping him stretched out as a starter. He's started six of his 19 major-league appearances, though he primarily worked as a long reliever in 2023 when he was with the Royals. Zerpa faces an uphill battle to make the rotation out of camp, but he should be one of the first options available for a call-up from Triple-A Omaha once the season is underway -- if he doesn't end up serving as a swingman in the bullpen.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Earns win in bulk role
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Zerpa (3-3) earned the win Wednesday against the Guardians. He allowed three hits while striking out four over 5.1 scoreless innings.
After Zack Greinke pitched the first 3.2 innings, Zerpa entered in relief and proceeded to blank the Guardians for 5.1 frames to earn his second straight win. The 23-year-old southpaw has excelled out of the bullpen recently, allowing just one run in his last three appearances (10.1 innings), striking out nine while issuing just one walk in that span. Zerpa may be making a case to start the 2024 campaign in Kansas City's rotation. He now sports a 4.82 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB across 37.1 innings this season.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Secures win Friday
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Zerpa (2-3) allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out five over four innings to earn the win Friday over the Astros.
Zerpa has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, and his appearance Friday was as a long reliever behind Zack Greinke, who went just two innings. Zerpa threw 70 pitches (43 strikes) in an effective appearance. He's allowed just two runs over his last nine innings, an improvement on his 5.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 25:7 K:BB through 32 innings overall. Zerpa could continue to serve as a piggyback option for Greinke or Alec Marsh over the last two weeks of the season.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Works in relief Tuesday
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Zerpa struck out three over three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 7-6 win over the White Sox. He scattered four hits and didn't walk a batter in the 47-pitch outing.
Zerpa shifted back to the bullpen this week after his previous appearance had come in the rotation Aug. 30 versus the Pirates. The 23-year-old southpaw looks like he'll be the next man up if a starting spot opens back up at any point in September. Zerpa has a 6.23 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB through 26 big-league innings this season.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Takes loss versus Pittsburgh
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Zerpa dropped to 1-3 after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Pirates.
Zerpa has moved between the bullpen and the rotation throughout August, but this was his longest outing of the year. He wasn't particularly effective, throwing just 49 of 84 pitches for strikes while allowing multiple runs for the fourth time in eight appearances. Overall, he has a 6.65 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB through 23 innings this season. If Brady Singer (arm) is cleared to pitch next week, Zerpa would likely move back to the bullpen unless the Royals opt to switch to a six-man rotation for the final month of the campaign.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Draws start Wednesday
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Zerpa is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Pirates at Kauffman Stadium, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zerpa made his latest appearance out of the bullpen this past Saturday in Seattle while Zack Greinke moved back into a traditional starting role earlier this week, but the Royals will turn to Zerpa for a spot start Wednesday since Brady Singer (arm) is having his turn in the rotation skipped. Assuming the brief respite is all Singer needs to overcome his bout with arm fatigue, Zerpa will likely head back to the bullpen following Wednesday's start. Between his previous two starts with Kansas City this season, Zerpa has given up five earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out 10 over seven innings.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Moves to bullpen Saturday
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Zerpa struck out a batter and allowed one run on one hit while working out of the bullpen in Saturday's 15-2 loss to the Mariners.
Zerpa had started in each of his last two appearances, but he was piggybacked in Tuesday's game against Oakland by Zack Greinke, who was eased back in his return from the injured list with a four-inning relief appearance. Greinke should be ready to take on a more traditional starting role the next time his turn in the rotation comes up during the Royals' upcoming series with the Pirates, so Zerpa appears to have transitioned back into a full-time relief role.
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Royals' Angel Zerpa: Handed second loss
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Zerpa (1-2) allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out four over three innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Athletics.
Zerpa served as more of an opener, allowing the Royals to ease Zack Greinke back in for his return from an elbow injury. Zerpa ended up giving up all the runs the Athletics scored during his time on the mound, and his future in the rotation for the rest of this season is likely in doubt. He's pitched to a poor 7.16 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB through 16.1 innings over six appearances (two starts).
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