Zobac (knee) has given up seven earned runs on 13 hits and no walks while striking out eight over 6.2 innings in his two starts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list June 13.
Zobac was on Northwest Arkansas' IL for nearly two months before he slotted back into the rotation a couple weeks ago after he wrapped up a three-start rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Over four outings at Double-A this season, Zobac owns a 9.42 ERA and 2.20 WHIP in 14.1 innings, but his 19:5 K:BB suggests that he's pitched better than his ERA would indicate.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Recovering from knee injury
Rotowire
Double-A Northwest Arkansas placed Zobac on its 7-day injured list April 16 due to right knee patella tendinitis, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zobac was shut down after laboring through his first two starts of the season with Northwest Arkansas, producing a 9.39 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB across 7.2 innings. According to Preston Farr of FarmToFountains.com, Zobac won't require surgery on his knee, but the 24-year-old righty is facing an uncertain timeline for a return.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Strikeout rate jumps at Double-A
Rotowire
Zobac notched a 3.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 65:14 K:BB in 55.1 innings across 11 appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Zobac was effective earlier in the year with High-A Quad Cities (3.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) but his strikeout rate jumped from 20 percent to 28.6 percent after his July 9 promotion to Double-A. While the 23-year-old righty may not have a true plus pitch, he has never logged a walk rate higher than 7.1 percent and built up to 126 innings this year. Zobac projects to be a No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but he could exceed that projection if his changeup improves or if he adds a tick to his low-90s fastball that already has good movement.
