The Yankees already now that they need a bump in the starting rotation and at catcher. Whispers have been heard around the league that the Yanks like Brian Bannister and catcher Miguel Olivo. 27-year old righty starting pitcher Brian Bannister has not pitched well lately. In his last 4 starts, Bannister is 0-2 with a 8.10 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Overall, Bannister has started 21 games for the Royals this season and he is 7-9 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. The Yankees are rumored to be willing to give up outfielder Melky Cabrera to get Bannister and that would be a move the Royals should jump at. That way they can start Cabrera in LF and move Mark Teahan to first base so that they can put Ross Gload on the bench where he belongs. Gload is a nice extra player to have on the bench but the more he plays, the more his weaknesses are exposed. The Yanks would also probably want Miguel Olivo in the trade as they are hurting behind the plate. Olivo has played in 58 games for the Royals this season and he is 51 for 207 (.246 avg, .725 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 9 homers and 29 RBIs.

The Royals have placed outfielder Joey Gathright on the 15-day disabled list with a bone bruise in his right shoulder. Gathright has played in 82 games for the Royals this season and he is 62 for 247 (.251 avg, .569 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 0 homers, 17 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. The Royals have recalled 26-year old lefty swinging Mitch Maier to replace Gathright on the roster. He went 1 for 4 last night in his first game with the Royals this season. Maier has also played in 83 games in AAA ball this season and he is 106 for 334 (.317 avg, .836 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 8 homers, 37 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

The Royals have placed lefty reliever Jimmy Gobble on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff lower back. I’m surprised the reasoning wasn’t either hurt feelings or whiplash after the beating he took last night. Gobble threw 1 inning last night and he allowed an amazing 7 hits, walked 4 batters and allowed 10 earned runs. Gobble has been truly pathetic in June & July this season working in 12 games and going 0-2 with a 21.41 ERA and a 3.83 WHIP. For the season, Gobble has worked in 31 games and he is 0-2 with 1 save, a 11.31 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP. Don’t expect to see him back any time soon with the way he has pitched this season. The Royals have recalled righty reliever Joel Peralta to replace Gobble in the bullpen. Peralta has pitched in 24 games for the Royals last season and he is 1-2 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Look for Peralta to pitch good for the Royals the rest of the way as he is a better pitcher than he has shown lately.

The Kansas City Royals are currently 43-53 which has them in 4th place in the American League Central, 12 games behind the White Sox. But, you can’t blame the Royals’ bullpen (at least the back end of it) for the teams’ record. Joakim Soria has been absolutely awesome this season for the Royals. He is 1-2 with 25 saves, a 1.47 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP this year. Soria has whiffed 46 batters and only has allowed 22 hits in 43 innings this season. Ramon Ramirez has been solid this season also working usually in the 7th or 8th innings. He is 0-1 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP this year. He has also whiffed 48 batters while only allowing 36 hits in 44.2 innings this year. Lefty Ron Mahay has also been very effective as he is 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. The Royals should hold onto Mahay unless they are given an offer they can’t refuse for him.

19-year old lefty starting pitcher Danny Duffy is showing this season why he was the #6 prospect in the Royals’ organization coming into this season according to Baseball America. Duffy has started in 10 games in A-Ball this season and he is 4-4 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Duffy has also whiffed 63 batters while only walking 10 in 48.1 innings which shows how good his stuff is and that he has great control. Look for the Royals to take it slow with him.