Back to the Kansas City Royals Newsfeed

A forgotten figure in the spring, Royals’ Al Alburquerque fights back to the big leagues

Reliever Al Alburquerque was sitting at a roulette wheel in Las Vegas when he learned he was returning to the major leagues. He lost, he says, but it still felt like a win.

Alburquerque, a nonroster invitee in spring training and a long shot to make the big-league roster, spent a month in the bullpen at Class AAA Omaha before joining the Royals’ bullpen in Tampa Bay on Wednesday. He logged a scoreless inning in a 6-0 victory on Thursday before returning to Kauffman Stadium with the club on Friday afternoon.

A veteran of six major-league seasons, including five with the Detroit Tigers, Alburquerque made just two appearances for the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, spending most of the year in Triple-A.