The Kansas City Royals have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and their depth in the pen is a major reason why manager Ned Yost plans on using a variety of set-up men. Wade Davis is the Royals' closer, but the pitcher working with 8th inning will depend on the situation.
The Royals have Joakim Soria, Kelvin Herrera and Luke Hochevar as potential set-up men. Manager Ned Yost told the Royals website that he plans on mixing and matching those pitchers at the end of games.
"Just depends on who has been used before and who's available," Yost said. "They could all be closers. We will mix them. There will be times when we flip it around. They are interchangeable."
Herrera has been sharp early this season, pitching five scoreless innings. Hochevar has given up two runs in his five innings of work and has struck out seven. Soria gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning in the season opener, but has allowed just one run in four innings of work since. He's even picked up a save.
While the Royals' bullpen has been sharp, Yost would like to see more from his starters. They've been putting pressure on the bullpen early and are averaging just over five innings per start.
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