McArthur earned the save in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, allowing one hit while recording a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
After allowing four runs in his first three outings this season, McArthur's rebounded with six consecutive scoreless appearances as he improves to 4-for-5 in save chances with a 3.72 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 12:1 K:BB through his first 9.2 innings this year. While Will Smith could still see the occasional save chance against a string of left-handed batters, the 27-year-old McArthur appears to be the go-to closing option in Kansas City.
McArthur picked up the save Monday against the White Sox. He pitched one shutout inning with two strikeouts.
McArthur loves pitching against the White Sox, as all three of his saves on the season have come against Chicago. After a shaky start to the season, he has now tossed five scoreless outings over 5.2 innings. McArthur looks to have fully supplanted Will Smith from the closer's role, as the veteran lefty had plenty of rest coming into Monday, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro clearly favored McArthur in the save situation.
McArthur (1-0) earned the victory in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Astros, firing two scoreless innings during which he gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
McArthur entered the contest in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied at 3-3, setting the Astros down in order. He returned for the top of the 10th frame, working around a two-out single by Jeremy Pena to keep the game tied while also picking up a pair of strikeouts. The Royals then walked it off with an RBI single by Salvador Perez in the bottom of the frame, giving McArthur his first win of the 2024 campaign. The right-hander now owns a 5.40 ERA with seven strikeouts over 6.2 innings in six appearances with Kansas City this season, going 2-for-3 in save opportunities in the process.
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Royals' James McArthur: Collects another save Sunday
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McArthur secured his second save of the season Sunday against the White Sox. He pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a walk and a hit while striking out two.
McArthur gave the White Sox a glimpse of hope by allowing the them to bring the winning run to the plate, but he shut the door on the series by striking out Dominic Fletcher. McArthur converted both save chances over the weekend due in part to Will Smith's early struggles this season and should be in line to be the Royals' primary closer going forward while he's getting the job done.
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Royals' James McArthur: Earns first save
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McArthur picked up the save Friday against the White Sox, allowing no runs in two-thirds of an inning with no strikeouts.
McArthur entered with one out in the top of the ninth inning after Will Smith opened the frame and struggled, yielding a double and a walk after striking out Yoan Moncada. McArthur replaced the veteran southpaw and induced Andrew Vaughn to hit into a double play, earning his first save of the season. Smith has pitched poorly to open the season, leaving plenty of room for McArthur to seize the closer job in Kansas City, but Friday was the first time in four appearances that the right-hander hadn't allowed a run.
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Royals' James McArthur: Looking for high-leverage spot
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McArthur has allowed a run on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two over three Cactus League innings.
He had four saves late in 2023, but the offseason addition of Will Smith will obstruct McArthur's path to the ninth inning. McArthur had a 4.63 ERA over 23.1 innings last season, but he also posted a 0.94 WHIP, 23:2 K:BB and 2.78 FIP. While he likely won't be able to keep his control at quite that strong a level, McArthur's an intriguing reliever to keep an eye on, especially on a team that has prioritized improving its pitching staff.
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Royals' James McArthur: Closes out fourth save of season
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McArthur picked up the save in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Yankees. He allowed one hit while striking out four over two scoreless innings.
McArthur has emerged as a closing option for the Royals in the last month as he now leads the team in saves since Sept. 1. Sunday's game marked the longest save of his career so far, with McArthur working two innings without trouble to shut the door. The rookie right-hander has improved his ERA in each month and has not allowed a run in his last 16.1 innings. He concludes his debut season with a 4.63 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 23.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. His impressive performance to end the season will surely improve his chances of starting the year with the big club in 2024.
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Royals' James McArthur: Secures third save
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McArthur picked up the save in Sunday's 6-5 victory over the Astros. He allowed one hit and no walks while striking out one over a scoreless inning.
McArthur appears to be part of a committee for the Royals' closer job, as he and Taylor Clarke split three saves this weekend in a sweep of the Astros (two for McArthur and one for Clarke). They have both earned preference over Carlos Hernandez, who has notched a hold in consecutive games. The 27-year-old McArthur has not allowed a run in 13.1 innings since being recalled Sept. 1. He's an intriguing fantasy pick-up for saves as the Royals finish the season against the Tigers and Yankees.
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Royals' James McArthur: Notches five-out save
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McArthur allowed a hit over 1.2 scoreless frames Friday, striking out two and earning a save against Houston.
McArthur entered a 7-5 game in the eighth inning and had little trouble recording the final five outs. He's picked up his first two career saves over the last week and is currently riding a 12.1-inning scoreless streak. McArthur allowed seven runs in one inning in his MLB debut June 28, but in 18.1 innings since, he's registered a 2.45 ERA with a 17:1 K:BB.
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Royals' James McArthur: Collects first career save
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McArthur picked up the save in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Guardians. He pitched a clean inning and struck out one.
After picking up his first career win Saturday, McArthur added a save to his ledger Monday. With both Taylor Clarke and Carlos Hernandez being unavailable due to throwing in two of the three previous days, McArthur was summoned for the save Monday after the Royals mounted a comeback in the eighth inning. McArthur has allowed just one hit with zero walks and eight strikeouts in 9.2 scoreless innings this month.
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Royals' James McArthur: Notches win over Houston
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McArthur (1-0) struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the win Saturday over the Astros.
Collin Snider surrendered a game-tying home run to Jose Altuve, but McArthur was able to prevent the Astros from pulling ahead in the seventh inning. The Royals gained the lead in their half of the frame, and McArthur wound up with his first big-league win. While he's had a couple of rough outings this year, the right-hander has allowed just one hit while striking out seven over 8.2 scoreless innings since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha when rosters expanded at the start of September.
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Royals' James McArthur: Gets opener assignment Saturday
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McArthur will serve as the Royals' opener Saturday at Toronto, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Zack Greinke is expected to enter the game behind McArthur as a bulk reliever. The 26-year-old has spent the majority of this season at the Triple-A level and carries a rough 10.13 ERA through his first 10.2 major-league innings.
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Royals' James McArthur: Recalled from Omaha
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Kansas City recalled McArthur from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
McArthur has given up 12 earned runs through his first seven major-league innings this season. The 26-year-old right-hander figures to operate in a low-leverage role as he gets another look in the Royals' bullpen.
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Royals' James McArthur: Sent back to minors
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McArthur was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
McArthur served as an opener for the Royals in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners, allowing three runs over his inning of work. He's being sent out in favor of a fresh bullpen arm.
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Royals' James McArthur: Opening Wednesday
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McArthur will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game versus Seattle, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
McArthur will be making the first start of his major-league career Wednesday. The 26-year-old righty has allowed two runs over four innings since being recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 4. He'll likely pitch for an inning or two before turning the game over to the bullpen, with Alec Marsh likely to serve as the Royals' primary pitcher.
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Royals' James McArthur: Recalled from Omaha
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Kansas City recalled McArthur from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
McArthur was just optioned out Wednesday, but the Royals need a replacement for Taylor Clarke as he heads to the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. McArthur figures to work in long relief.
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Royals' James McArthur: Optioned to Triple-A
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Kansas City optioned McArthur to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
McArthur was only up in the majors for one day and did not make an appearance. The 26-year-old right-hander got lit up for seven earned runs while recording only three outs in his major-league debut back on June 28 against the Guardians.
