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Why Royals pitcher's demotion to minors may not last long
Following a flawless MLB debut on Wednesday that saw Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron take a no-hit bid into the seventh inning of a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, it was a much different story for the 25-year-old on Thursday.
Per the Associated Press, the club optioned him back to Triple-A Omaha following the impressive outing.
With ace Cole Ragans dealing with a sore groin, Cameron was called up to make the start on Wednesday and it is safe to say he took full advantage of the opportunity.
Cameron, who grew up around the Kansas City area, finished with 6.1 innings pitched, one hit, zero runs, five walks and three strikeouts. He was in command the entire game with 79 total pitches across the 6.1 innings, 46 of which were strikes.
He was eventually pulled from the game after allowing the first hit of his MLB career -- a one-out single in the seventh from first baseman Curtis Mead.
Cameron was the first player to go that deep into his big-league debut without allowing a hit since Nick Kingham got two outs into the seventh for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
While he would have become the first Royals pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Bret Saberhagen in 1991 had the game played out differently, you cannot ask for a better debut that what Cameron gave Kansas City.
The starting rotation of Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen, plus the solid bullpen depth in the lineup, has produced the fifth-best ERA (3.24) in the league so far.
Although the Royals have hit the fewest home runs this season, the pitching success the team has found has been a major driving force behind overcoming an 8-14 start to the season to get back above .500 at 16-15.
The decision to option Cameron back to Triple-A may seem like a surprise at first, but he will likely not stay there long. His 2-0 record and 3.22 ERA in five starts for Omaha this season is why he is considered one of the top five prospects within the organization.
Wednesday may have been a one-off start to fill in for the injured Ragans, but after showing what he can do on the big stage and leading the Royals to the win, do not expect Cameron to remain in the minors for long as he looks to return to the big leagues on a permanent basis.
More must-reads:
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