Kansas City Royals welcome latest member of their 2018 MLB draft class to the majors

From the life-comes-at-you-fast file:

Austin Cox was scheduled to start for the Class AAA Omaha Storm Chasers on Wednesday in a game that began at 11:05 a.m. He got to the ballpark in Papillion, Nebraska at 8:30 a.m., and when he went to grab some coffee, manager Mike Jirschele summoned him to the office.

“Hey, you’re going to the big leagues,” Jirschele said. “Congratulations.”

Words every minor-league player wants to hear.

“I still think I’m in shock,” he said.

The Royals called up Cox and optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Omaha. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Royals transferred Kris Bubic to the 60-day injured list. Bubic needs Tommy John surgery and is likely out for the season.

Cox has made five appearances for Omaha, four starts and one stint out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old left-hander has a 2.21 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings this season.

Over five minor-league seasons entering 2023, Cox started 72 games with a 3.65 ERA with 345 strikeouts in 379 1/3 innings.

Cox, 26, was the Royals’ fifth-round selection from Mercer University in the 2018 draft. The Royals went heavy on college pitching in that draft, with Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, Bubic and Jon Heasley all selected. Everyone in that group had made his big-league debut by 2021.

Before Wednesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said a role had not yet been determined for Cox, who was available out of the bullpen.

“He’s been a starter, but we told him to be ready to pitch,” Quatraro said. “We’ve worked the bullpen pretty had this last 10 days or so. We needed to freshen up and get some coverage.”