Royals Farm Report has been informed by a source close with the Royals that LHP Tim Hill, RHP Brad Keller, and RHP Blaine Boyer have made the Kansas City Royals Opening Day bullpen. 

Tim Hill was added to the 40-man roster this offseason in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and now we see why. The Royals obviously think very highly of him and coveted his services. Though he’s never pitched at the AAA level, you can see why the Royals like him so much here:

Hill is extremely unconventional and extremely effective against left handed hitters. Lefties hit merely .168 against Hill in 2017. He’ll be a lot of fun to watch this season.

Brad Keller was a Rule 5 acquisition this offseason and must remain on the Royals roster for the entire 2018 season. He’s also never pitched at AAA, but put up very good numbers last season at AA in the Diamondbacks organization. The 6′ 5″ righty is an imposing figure on the mound with good tilt on his low-mid-90’s fastball.

Blaine Boyer is a veteran arm with plenty of experience in big league bullpens. He posted an ERA of 4.35 with 33 K in 41.1 IP last year with Boston. He is 36.