Baseball Roundup: Smith heads back to Triple-A
From Staff Reportssports@newnan.com
Former Northgate standout Will Smith’s first stint in the major leagues might have ended Tuesday following another start where he gave up three home runs in a losing cause.
But after what became a near three-week stint with the Kansas City Royals, the 22-year-old left-hander from Newnan may not be gone from the majors for long.
Kansas City recalled reliever Ryan Verdugo from Omaha as part of the move.
Royals manager Ned Yost said Smith’s poor performance on Monday wasn’t the main reason he was sent down. Yost told reporters he wants an extra arm in the bullpen until Kansas City starts interleague play Friday at Pittsburgh.
Smith could return as early as June 16, the next time the Royals may need a fifth starter. The Kansas City staff has been plagued by injuries, including one to veteran Jonathan Sanchez (biceps tendinitis). Sanchez equally struggled in his rehab start on Monday in Omaha.
Long balls were a nemesis for Smith during his first three appearances in the majors. He gave up three homers in each of his two losses, compared to none during his victory over the Indians, where he closed his outing during a 8-2 victory with five scoreless innings.
Smith, who spoke to the Newnan Times-Herald following his first major league start against the Yankees in New York last month, remained humble, writing on his Twitter page “Well, it was fun while it lasted. Back to Omaha to continue to work hard and get better.”
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McGRAW, MISSOURI END SEASON
The magic ended for Newnan junior Michael McGraw and Missouri over the weekend during the NCAA Regionals. The Tigers were eliminated with an 11-3 loss to Louisville, with McGraw finishing 1-for-4 with a single at designated hitter.
McGraw finished his first season at Missouri since transferring from Bossier Parish Junior College with a .306 average in 22 games. He missed 18 games with a broken bone in his hand, but returned to help lead the Tigers to a Big 12 Conference title.
