The Kansas City Royals today announced several moves to set the club’s 40-man roster at 40 for the offseason reserve list deadline which occurs at midnight ET tonight.
Following the confirmation of the signing of right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, the Royals designated right-handed pitcher Chris Volstad for assignment.
In addition, the Royals selected the contracts of left-handed pitchers Chris Dwyer, Donnie Joseph, John Lamb, Justin Marks and Mike Montgomery, and right-handed pitcher J.C. Gutierrez from the Omaha Storm Chasers. To create room on the roster, the Royals designated the following players for assignment: right-handed pitcher Vin Mazzaro; left-handed pitcher Ryan Verdugo; catchers Adam Moore and Brayan Pena; infielder Clint Robinson and outfielder Derrick Robinson.
Dwyer, 24, pitched for Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA) in 2012, combining on an 8-12 record with a 5.89 ERA in 26 games (25 starts). The 6-foot-3 left-hander from Swampscott, Mass., was the Royals’ fourth-round selection in the 2009 Draft.
The 25-year-old Joseph was acquired by the Royals along with pitcher J.C. Sulbaran from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jonathan Broxton on July 31. The left-handed reliever from Buda, Texas, went 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 11 outings with Omaha (AAA) following the trade, striking out 19 in 17.1 innings. He was a combined 9-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 55 relief appearances in 2012.
Lamb, 22, made just six starts in 2012 as he continued his recovery from 2011 Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. The 6-foot-4 southpaw from Laguna Hills, Calif., was the Royals’ fifth-round pick in 2008.
The 24-year-old Marks just completed a strong Arizona Fall League campaign in which he posted a 5-1 record with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts, recording two more wins than any other pitcher in the circuit. Acquired from the Oakland A’s with Vin Mazzaro in exchange for David DeJesus on November 10, 2010, the Owensboro, Ky., resident pitched at three different levels of the Royals system in 2012, including going 3-5 with a 3.80 ERA in 17 starts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas where he was a Texas League All-Star.
Montgomery, 23, appeared at both Northwest Arkansas and Omaha last season and combined for a 5-12 record in 27 starts. The club’s supplemental round selection (36th overall) in the 2008 Draft resides in Surprise, Ariz.
The 29-year-old Gutierrez made 19 appearances (four starts) in the Royals system in 2012 after inking as a minor league free agent on December 20, 2011. The 6-foot-3 resident of Barcelona, Venezuela, has pitched in the Majors with the Astros (2007) and Diamondbacks (2009-2011), posting a 5-10 record with a 4.79 ERA in 150 games (three starts), recording 24 saves and striking out 152 in 167.1 innings.
