KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- On April 24, the Royals optioned infielder Orlando Calixte and recalled pitcher Brandon Finnegan. The move seemed insignificant for the club -- a 23-year-old reserve infielder swapped places with a 22-year-old left-hander.
But the move marked the moment when the Royals went from a typical seven-man bullpen to an unusual eight-man one. Now, Kansas City is set to carry eight relievers for the rest of the season.
The Royals' bullpen, which owns baseball's best ERA at 1.08, is stacked with dominant arms, effective middle relievers and a versatile long man. But it lacks flexibility.
Of the eight relievers currently active for the Royals, only Finnegan has options left, meaning he is the only pitcher who could be sent down to the minors without exposing him to the waiver wire. The rest -- Greg Holland, Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson, Jason Frasor, Chris Young and Franklin Morales -- are all out of options and have been valuable enough to Kansas City that it would shy away from letting one walk away.
With the addition of five starting pitchers, the Royals will carry 13 arms and just 12 position players, limiting the bench to just three players.
"We're prepared to manage 13," general manger Dayton Moore said. "It's hard. You usually don't see that, but it's a very talented group. Right now, our mindset is to keep as much pitching as we can at this point."
There was some chatter in spring training about breaking camp with eight relievers, but the club decided to go with the customary seven bullpen arms instead. Left fielder Alex Gordon's recovering wrist dictated that the Royals have an extra outfielder and one less reliever. But now Gordon's wrist appears to be fully healed, eliminating the need for another position player and opening the door for an oversized bullpen.
When Royals manager Ned Yost was asked how long he anticipated an eight-man bullpen, he simply said "a long time."
"We can't be moving guys in and out," Yost said. "It's either send someone down the road, or keep an eight-man bullpen. We like what we got down there. We're going to have to keep an eight-man bullpen until something happens."
What's perhaps more unusual than settling on the idea of an eight-man bullpen in May is that Kansas City could have the same eight-man bullpen throughout the season, barring injuries.
Luke Hochevar, recovering from Tommy John surgery, is set to rejoin the team this weekend in Detroit after his rehab stint is over. Players are allowed a 30-day rehab in the minors, at which point they are typically recalled and activated, Moore said. Hochevar's first minor league action was April 9, setting up his return for this weekend.
Yost said reports from Triple A Omaha are good, that Hochevar's fastball is sitting in the 92- to 94-mph range and that he's throwing strikes with all his pitches.
Hochevar has yet to pitch on back-to-back days and has thrown on one day's rest only once. Moore said Hochevar would be ready for his return but added that he would likely need time between outings.
When Hochevar returns, the Royals will have the bullpen they planned on having during spring training, minus the loss of Tim Collins to Tommy John surgery. Without all of their bullets, the bullpen has still thrived, leading baseball not only in ERA but also batting average against (.155) and WHIP (0.78).
"We still got a pretty packed gun," Yost said. "We've been through a lot here lately, and had guys sitting out, guys having to do this, and have guys getting hurt. We've fared very well through it."
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
