Hill was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Hill made five appearances for the Royals in the first two weeks of the season, allowing two runs in two innings while recording a 0:3 K:BB. He should fill a lefty specialist role during his time with the club.

Hill was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

EDGE Analysis

The Royals added reinforcements to the pitching staff by promoting Heath Fillmyer and Richard Lovelady from Triple-A, so Hill was one of the players sent down in a corresponding move. He could return the next time the Royals need some fresh arms.

Hill added a changeup to his repertoire over the offseason, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hill exclusively used his fastball and slider last season. That combination helped him hold lefties to a .572 OPS, but righties managed a .774 mark against him. A changeup is traditionally a strong weapon against opposite-sided hitters, so the pitch could make Hill a more well-rounded reliever, though it of course remains to be seen how successful the pitch will be and how often the southpaw will use it.

Hill is a candidate to see occasional save opportunities in 2019, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Ned Yost was noncommittal when asked about naming a closer Wednesday, implying he may take a different approach to the ninth inning in 2019. Should Yost decide to use the team's top relievers in more flexible roles, Hill could see occasional save opportunities when the situation calls for a left-handed pitcher. That said, the 29-year-old posted a 4.53 ERA and 8.3 K/9 across 45.2 innings last season, so there are better options given his skillset and uncertain role.

Hill hit the one batter (David Fletcher) he faced in the eighth inning Monday and was then removed after just four pitches.

EDGE Analysis

The Royals are working with a closer-by-committee situation, and while Hill has been a part of that, he appears to have been a bit of an afterthought in this contest. Kevin McCarthy came in to relieve him and pitched a clean eighth inning before Wily Peralta picked up his first career save with a clean ninth inning.

Hill pitched a perfect ninth inning Friday to earn the save against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

Hill was able to induce two groundouts and a flyout in the ninth to notch his first career save, throwing 10 pitches (seven strikes) in the appearance. Hill has been more of a situational pitcher this season, tallying 23.2 innings across 32 games. In that span, he's held lefties to a .219 batting average while righties are hitting .276 against him. The departure of Kelvin Herrera brings Hill some opportunity to close out games for Kansas City, with Brandon Maurer and Kevin McCarthy also in the mix.

Hill earned a place on the Royals' Opening Day roster, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hill spent a majority of the 2017 season at the Double-A level, posting a 4.17 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with a 75:19 K:BB over 69 innings. The left-hander has yet to toe the rubber in the majors at this point in his career and will likely be utilized in low-leverage situations.