MAY 3, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
Watch as Orioles batter fouls off 12 pitches in at-bat against Royals' Taylor Clarke A 16-pitch at-bat included a whopping dozen foul balls and a broken bat.
Serving as opener Friday Clarke will serve as an opener for the Royals on Friday against the Angels, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Impact He'll be followed by bulk reliever Ryan Yarbrough. It's the first opener assignment for Clarke, who holds a 6.75 ERA but a 12:3 K:BB over eight relief innings this season.
APRIL 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Collects first win Clarke (1-0) earned the win Saturday versus the Giants. He allowed three hits and struck out three without walking a batter in a scoreless eighth inning.
Impact Clarke kept the game tied at 5-5 before the Royals pulled ahead in the top of the ninth. The right-hander loaded the bases with three singles, but struck out Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford and Blake Sabol in order to end the threat. Clarke has had a shaky start to the season, allowing three runs, including a pair of home runs, on eight hits and a walk while striking out eight over five innings. He hasn't historically displayed swing-and-miss stuff, and that's often kept him limited to middle-relief assignments, a role that's unlikely to change much in 2023.
APRIL 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Moves past injury Clarke (lower body) made his Cactus League debut in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Guardians, giving up one run on two hits over an inning of relief.
Impact The appearance was Clarke's first of the spring, after he had previously suffered a lower-body injury early in camp that caused the Royals to slow down his throwing progression. Since Clarke was deployed mostly as a one-inning reliever in 2022, he'll likely require just a few more spring appearances to get fully ramped up for Opening Day. Expect the 29-year-old to handle a middle-innings role for Kansas City.
MARCH 15, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Set for live BP on Sunday Clarke (lower body) is set to throw live batting practice Sunday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Impact Clarke's been slowed early in spring training by lower-body soreness. He's been dealing with the issue for about a week. The right-hander will likely need just one or two live BP sessions before being cleared for game action, so he'll still have enough time make an impression on manager Matt Quatraro over the next few weeks while competing for a bullpen spot.
MARCH 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Tending to lower-body injury Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that Clarke 's throwing progression will be slowed down after the right-hander experienced lower-body soreness in a bullpen session Sunday,...
Impact Though Quatraro said Clarke's progression will be slowed a bit, the skipper added that the 29-year-old should be ready to pitch in Cactus League games within a week. Clarke was a solid, if unspectacular, performer for the Royals in 2022, accruing a 4.04 ERA and notching three saves while covering 49 innings out of the bullpen. He projects to fill a middle-innings role during the upcoming campaign.
FEBRUARY 27, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
#TheHobby Life: Royals reliever Taylor Clarke's 'full circle' collection with twin boys Taylor Clarke has figured out the answer to the question that has, for decades, frustrated collectors standing in front of rows and rows of...
FEBRUARY 20, 2023 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM
33 players left in arbitration as 170 reach agreements
A total of 170 major league players agreed to contracts in the hours before Friday night’s arbitration deadline to exchange proposed salaries with teams, and just one reached a mul...JANUARY 14, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Avoids arbitration Clarke signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Royals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Impact Clarke had a solid first season in Kansas City, putting up a 4.04 ERA and 48:8 K:BB over 49 innings while collecting three saves. The 29-year-old is likely to work in a middle relief role again in 2023.
JANUARY 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Done for season Clarke was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to a left-side oblique strain.
Impact With the regular season coming to an end soon and the Royals well outside of the playoffs, Clarke will end the season on the injured list. He will finish the year with a 4.04 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 49 innings, alongside a 3-1 record and three saves. Collin Snider was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday as a corresponding move.
OCTOBER 4, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Notches save Clarke recorded two strikeouts in a perfect inning to earn a save over Cleveland on Monday.
Impact Clarke needed just 11 pitches (10 strikes) to finish off the 5-2 victory. It was the first time he completed a full inning of work since Aug. 6 and the outing lowered his season ERA to 4.04 with a 48:8 K:BB through 47 appearances. Clarke picked up the save in the 10th inning after Scott Barlow worked a scoreless ninth frame.
OCTOBER 4, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Taken off injured list Clarke (oblique) was activated from the injured list Thursday.
Impact Clarke tossed an inning in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Monday, and that was all the Royals needed to see before adding him back to the roster. Clarke has posted a 2.73 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB over 29.2 big-league innings since the start of June, so chances are he will be used in high-leverage spots the rest of the way.
SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Beginning rehab Monday Clarke (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment in the minors Monday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
Impact Barring any setbacks during his assignment, Clarke remains on track to rejoin the Royals before the end of the season. He was posting a 5.50 K/BB ratio this season before being sidelined with a left oblique strain.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
On track to return Clarke (oblique) threw a live session Tuesday and felt good afterward, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Impact Clarke will throw again Friday, and if all goes as planned, he will spend a little time on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to Kansas City ahead of season's end. The 29-year-old reliever was in the middle of a career year, having posted a 4.02 ERA and 1.19 WHIP before being sidelined in early August with an oblique strain.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Diamondbacks visit the Royals on 3-game road win streak
The Arizona Diamondbacks hit the road against the Kansas City Royals looking to prolong a three-game road winning streakAUGUST 24, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Royals host the Diamondbacks in first of 2-game series
The Kansas City Royals host the Arizona Diamondbacks to start a two-game seriesAUGUST 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Not Enough Is Being Made of Royals' Taylor Clarke Loss Although it’s just temporary, KC will be missing a very solid bullpen piece in Clarke.
AUGUST 10, 2022 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Sidelined with oblique strain The Royals placed Clarke on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a left oblique strain.
Impact Clarke will be eligible to come off the IL on Aug. 23, but given the volatile recovery timelines associated with oblique injuries, he's far from a lock to be ready to rejoin the Royals by then. The 29-year-old right-hander has been a key setup man for the Royals this season, logging 10 holds and two saves while generating a 4.02 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 47 innings over his 44 appearances.
AUGUST 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Collects third win Clarke (3-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in one inning, earning the win Thursday over the Red Sox.
Impact Clarke took a blown save by allowing the tying run to score in the seventh inning. He ended up with the win after the Royals rallied for four runs in their half of the frame. Since the start of July, Clarke has allowed two runs with a 12:4 K:BB across 13 innings in 12 appearances. The right-hander has a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 41:8 K:BB, two saves, 10 holds and five blown saves through 45.1 innings this year. As long as he doesn't completely go off the rails, he should see mainly setup work over the last two months of the season.
AUGUST 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Earns win over Yankees Clarke (2-1) allowed a hit and a walk with one strikeout in two scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday over the Yankees.
Impact Clarke entered the game with the Royals down by two, but a solo home run from Hunter Dozier and a three-run blast form Salvador Perez turned the game around. Rather than bring in struggling closer Scott Barlow, manager Mike Matheny stuck with Clarke for a second frame, and the right-hander rewarded that decision by navigating a two-on, one-out situation in the ninth. July did a lot to boost Clarke's stock in the Kansas City bullpen -- he allowed just one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out 10 over 12 innings in 11 appearances. He now has a 3.65 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 39:7 K:BB across 44.1 innings this season, and he's added two saves, 10 holds and four blown saves. Clarke is likely to share setup duties with Josh Staumont going forward.
JULY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Earns second save Clarke struck out one batter in a perfect inning and picked up a save against the Rays on Sunday.
Impact Clarke tossed eight of 13 pitches for strikes and retired the Rays in order to finish off the 4-2 victory. He'd blown three straight save opportunities since his last successful conversion April 28. The 29-year-old lowered his ERA to 3.83 with a 38:6 K:BB through 40 appearances. Scott Barlow was likely unavailable Sunday after he tossed two innings during Saturday's victory.
JULY 25, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Extends scoreless streak Clarke has not allowed a run in his last six innings.
Impact Clarke has four holds and a blown save in that span -- he allowed an inherited runner to score the tying run July 4 against the Astros. With just two hits and a walk allowed during his scoreless streak, Clarke has earned a few more looks in high-leverage situations. He pitched the eighth inning in a one-run game Wednesday -- that could happen more often while Josh Staumont (neck) is out. For the year, Clarke has a 4.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 33:5 K:BB, one save, eight holds, three blown saves and a 1-1 record through 36.1 innings.
JULY 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Pasquantino hits unusual 1st MLB homer, Royals beat Tigers
Vinnie Pasquantino hit his first major league home run and Hunter Dozier followed with a drive into the bullpen, leading Brad Keller and the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tig...JULY 2, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Clean inning Tuesday Clarke logged a hold with one perfect relief inning in Tuesday's 12-11 extra-innings win over the Angels.
Impact Clarke worked the eighth inning without trouble, but the game got chaotic after that. The 29-year-old is up to four holds in 26 appearances this season, maintaining a mid-leverage role in the Royals' bullpen. He's added a save, two blown saves, a 4.88 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 23:3 K:BB across 27.2 innings, but he's not expected to be in serious contention for regular save chances.
JUNE 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Covers two innings in loss Clarke allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts in two innings during Tuesday's 7-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
Impact Clarke was given the ball for mop-up duty as the Royals' offense gave starter Brad Keller no help in this contest. In his last nine outings, Clarke has struggled mightily, allowing 15 runs (13 earned) on 21 hits and a walk with five strikeouts in nine innings. Overall, the right-hander has a 6.00 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB across 21 innings. While the control is solid, the results aren't there, and he could be at risk of a demotion once the Royals get some injured or ill relievers back from the injured list.
JUNE 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
