Royals claim pitcher Mike Morin off waivers

The Royals have claimed right-handed pitcher Mike Morin off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. To make room for him, they designated pitcher Onelki Garcia for assignment. Morin is a 26-year old reliever who grew up in the Kansas City area and attended Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas. In parts of four minor league seasons with the Angels, he has a 4.49 ERA but a 3.40 FIP with 154 strikeouts in 164 1/3 innings.

Morin’s best season came in 2014, his rookie campaign, where he posted a 2.90 ERA in 59 relief innings. He made one appearances in the American League Divisional Series against the Royals that post-season. Morin gave up 11 runs in 14 ¹⁄₃ innings this year with the Angels, and had a 3.20 ERA in 39 ¹⁄₃ innings in AAA.

Morin is a fastball/slider/changeup pitcher who throws in the low 90s. He has a 41.9% groundball rate in his career. He was designated for assignment last week by the Angels to make room for pitcher Garrett Richards, who was activated from the disabled list.

Onelki Garcia gave up nine runs in six innings of work, including a disastrous start against the Twins on September 2. His 13.50 career ERA with the Royals is the 13th-highest in club history.