Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics - News - March 17, 2021

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Ready to play catch Fiers (hip) will play catch Thursday, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

Impact Fiers received an injection Monday to address inflammation in his hip. He's yet to make his Cactus League debut this spring, so it looks as though he may not have time to get up to speed by Opening Day. However, assuming his recovery advances without setbacks, he may not miss too many turns in the rotation.

MARCH 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Making Cactus League debut Murphy (chest) will make his Cactus League debut Thursday against the Padres, catching and batting third, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Impact Murphy was handled carefully to start camp as he made his way back from offseason surgery to address a collapsed lung. He's making his spring debut just two weeks before Opening Day, but it looks as though he should still have a good chance to break camp on the active roster.

MARCH 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Back in action Benintendi (back) will bat second and play left field Thursday against the White Sox.

Impact Benintendi hasn't played since Saturday while working through a bout of back soreness. He should still have time to get ready for Opening Day, which is two weeks away, though his bat hasn't woken up yet this spring, as he's 3-for-18 in Cactus League action.

MARCH 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Satisfied despite velocity drop Puk, who made his Cactus League debut in a win over the Royals on Wednesday, came away satisifed with his two-inning outing despite his velocity topping out at 92-93 mph, Martin Ga...

Impact The big left-hander allowed a two-run homer in the first inning. However, Puk also recorded four strikeouts -- three of them on swinging third strikes -- while utilizing his two-seam fastball, slider and curveball. Manager Bob Melvin echoed his pitcher by putting the the low-90s velocity in perspective, noting that Puk's 6-foot-7 frame makes his power pitch intimidating even at reduced speed because how close he gets to the plate by the end of his delivery.

MARCH 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles second time out Luzardo allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits, a walk and a wild pitch across 2.1 innings in a Cactus League loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He struck out three.

Impact The left-hander was taken deep by Ketel Marte in the second inning as part of a forgettable outing overall, one that was in sharp contrast to the four scoreless frames he managed in his spring debut Thursday. Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports Luzardo primarily blamed pitch selection and location for his troubles Tuesday, which also included a trio of doubles in addition to the aforementioned solo homer. "I threw a couple of changeups to Cabrera and Escobar and it looked like they were expecting it," Luzardo said. "I just have to make better pitches. I have to throw more offspeed pitches for strikes."

MARCH 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

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Kansas City Royals vs. Oakland Athletics - News: Mar 17, 2021

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