Luinder Avila: Everything you need to know

Manager Matt Quatraro said Saturday that Avila will join the Royals' rotation and start Monday's game against the Reds, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. With Cole Ragans (elbow) set to spend more time on the injured list than the Royals originally expected following a setback, Kansas City will turn to Avila to temporarily fill the fifth spot in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty struggled to find his footing in the majors early in the season but has settled in as of late, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 14.1 frames since the beginning of May. He likely won't be able to handle a full starter's workload Monday after throwing just 67 pitches over three frames during his last outing, and he'll also be tasked with taking on a Reds lineup that's posted a .742 OPS across its last 10 games.

Avila allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three across three scoreless innings Tuesday against Boston. Avila entered after opener Bailey Falter allowed two runs over the first two innings and provided Kansas City with valuable length out of the bullpen. The right-hander limited Boston to just one hit across his three innings while continuing a strong recent stretch. Avila has now put together four consecutive scoreless appearances, improving his season line to a 4.42 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB across 18.1 innings in his second season with Kansas City.

Avila allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two over two scoreless innings in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox. After starter Kris Bubic lasted only four innings, Avila covered a pair of scoreless frames in relief. Avila surrendered runs in four of his first five big-league appearances this season, but the right-hander has now strung together three consecutive scoreless outings. Overall, he owns a 5.28 ERA and 1.83 WHIP with an elevated 5.3 BB/9 across 15.1 innings.