The Kansas City Royals are adding some Canadian talent to their bullpen mix.
Kansas City recalled right-hander Eric Cerantola from triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, optioning Stephen Kolek to clear space on its 26-man roster.
Cerantola, 26, pitched for Team Canada in this spring's World Baseball Classic, pitching two scoreless outings as the Canadians advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals.
He has built on that strong WBC showing with an excellent start to his season in Omaha. Operating as the Storm Chasers' closer, Cerantola had a 1.42 ERA, 18 strikeouts and five saves in 12.2 innings before getting the call on Wednesday.
Cerantola attacks hitters with three offerings — a slider, fastball and cutter — primarily leaning on his slider, which he threw 56.8 per cent of the time this year in triple-A.
A native of Montreal, Cerantola was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by the Royals out of Mississippi State and has slowly climbed up the organizational ranks.
He was added to Kansas City's 40-man roster during the 2024 off-season.
Cerantola will join a Royals team in need of a boost. Kansas City is tied for third in the AL Central with a 17-19 record, with a bullpen that ranks 24th in MLB with a 4.82 ERA.
