Royals Option Three To Omaha

The Kansas City Royals on Sunday announced their first set of Spring Training roster moves leading up to the 2019 season, with three pitchers optioned to Omaha's roster. Right-handers Arnaldo Hernandez , Ben Lively and Jake Newberry were all optioned to the Storm Chasers' roster, while lefty Jake Kalish and righty Andres Machado were assigned to minor league camp.

Hernandez, Newberry, Kalish and Machado have each pitched for Omaha in the past two seasons.
Hernandez in 12 outings (11 starts) has combined for a 6-1 record and 3.28 ERA (25 ER/68.2 IP) along with 42 strikeouts. Last season he compiled a 5-1 mark and 3.55 ERA (23 ER/58.1 IP) in ten appearances, all but one of which were starts. Hernandez also pitched for High-A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2018. He was signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent on September 18, 2012.
Newberry in his two campaigns with the Storm Chasers has combined fr a 5-2 clip and 2.30 ERA (8 ER/31.1 IP), adding three saves and 27 strikeouts in 23 appearances. The 24-year-old was excellent in his 16 outings with Omaha last year, yielding two earned runs over 20.0 innings of work, posting a 3-0 record and 0.90 ERA while striking out 16. His performance earned him a promotion to Kansas City, making his Major League debut on August 20. Newberry was selected by the Royals in the 37th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of Mira Mesa High School in California.
Lively was claimed off waivers by the Royals from Philadelphia last year on September 5 ad appeared in five contests with Kansas City, posting an 0-1 record and 1.35 ERA (1 ER/6.2 IP) with five strikeouts. He has combined for a 4-10 mark and 4.61 ERA (61 ER/119.0 IP) in 25 career Major League appearances, including 20 starts. The 27-year-old was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the University of Central Florida. He was acquired by the Phillies from Cincinnati in a December 31, 2014 trade in exchange for outfielder Marlon Byrd and cash considerations.
Kalish in his two seasons with Omaha has accumulated a 7-6 clip and 3.19 ERA (37 ER/104.1 IP), adding 101 strikeouts in 20 appearances (17 starts). He posted a 6-6 mark and 3.34 ERA (33 ER/89.0 IP) with 85 strikeouts in 17 outings (14 starts) in 2018, setting a new single-game career-high with ten punchouts in a win on July 24 at Sacramento. Kalish also earned MiLB.com Organization All-Star honors for his efforts last year. The 27-year-old was selected by the Royals in the 32nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of George Mason University.
Machado between the 2017-18 seasons with Omaha has combined for a 2-6 record and 6.18 ERA (41 ER?59.2 IP) with 63 strikeouts in 14 appearances (13 starts). He began the 2018 campaign with the Storm Chasers before being transferred to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on July 29. Machado made his Major League debut on September 2, 2017 at Minnesota. He was not tendered a contract by the Royals following the 2018 season, however re-signed with Kansas City as a minor league free agent on December 4. He was originally signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent on November 17, 2010.
Following these roster moves, the Royals have 59 players in Major League camp. 22 of those 59 are non-roster invites.
Royals Spring Training camp ends at Werner Park with the Royals Exhibition Game presented by Cobalt Credit Union on Monday, March 25. Berm tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here.
The Storm Chasers begin their 2019 Pacific Coast League campaign on the road in Memphis on Thursday, April 3. Opening Night at Werner Park versus the Oklahoma City Dodgers is set for Tuesday, April 9 at 6:35pm. Single-game tickets for all 70 Storm Chasers home dates go on sale beginning on Monday, March 11 at noon CT.