The KC Royals desperately need a boost from Dan Altavilla tonight.

Apparently convinced that he’s not ready for regular major league action, the KC Royals sent promising reliever Will Klein back to the minors on Monday. To fill his spot in the bullpen, which is searching for consistency among its varied experience levels, they called up Dan Altavilla, a veteran with six partial big league seasons who hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2021.

Manager Matt Quatraro quickly put Altavilla to work. With Kansas City trailing the Yankees 4-1 on Monday evening, Quatraro called on Altavilla to pitch the eighth inning. Altavilla delivered a perfect inning, striking out Alex Verdugo and DJ LeMahieu and retiring Trent Grisham on a grounder in a three-up, three-down debut.

Quatraro hopes for another strong performance from Altavilla tonight, but in a different role. Altavilla is set to make his first career start when the Royals face the Yankees in the third game of their four-game series at Kauffman Stadium at 7:10 p.m. CDT.

Dan Altavilla’s start has a specific purpose for the KC Royals

Altavilla, typically a reliever with 120 major league appearances, will serve as an opener and is expected to pitch only an inning or two before giving way to Daniel Lynch IV. Lynch was scheduled to start tonight, but Quatraro opted to use Altavilla instead.

This decision likely stems from necessity rather than preference. Lynch has struggled in the first inning of his three starts this season, allowing seven runs, six hits, and three walks, with opponents hitting .400/.550/.733 against him. The Royals likely prefer traditional starters, but this strategy makes sense until Lynch finds his first-inning form.

Kansas City needs a good performance from Dan Altavilla tonight

The Royals’ rotation, which has been strong for much of the season, has hit a rough patch. They currently have the worst June ERA in the American League at 6.70, the only mark above 6.00 in the league this month.

A solid inning or two from Altavilla and a good outing from Lynch could help rejuvenate the rotation. This is especially important as the Royals, having lost the first two games of the series to the Yankees, can only aim for a split and have lost three in a row and 10 of their last 15 games.