Left-hander Francisco Liriano might not realize the full value of his $8 million vesting option with the Pirates for next season. But as long as he avoids a specific re-injury to his right (non-pitching) arm, he almost certainly will return to the club, albeit at a lower price.

Under the terms of Liriano’s contract, a copy of which was obtained by FOXSports.com, his option will vest at $6 million if he does not spend 120 days on the disabled list due to an injury to his right arm, which he broke in a freak accident on Christmas Day.

Liriano would have gotten the full $8 million if he was not on the DL for 150 days, but the injury sidelined him until May 11. The option officially will vest at $5 million if he does not spend 90 days on the DL due to the specific injury. That date likely would be in early August.

Beyond that, Liriano’s deal also includes a potential $3.75 million in roster bonuses that are likewise tied to the number of days he is not on the DL due to the specific injury. He no longer is eligible for the full $3.75 million, but $2.125 million should be within reach.

Liriano originally agreed to a two-year, $12.75 million free-agent contract with the Pirates last December, but the team restructured the deal after he suffered his injury and guaranteed him only $1 million for one year.

He figures to clear $11 million over two years if he avoids further injury to right arm. If his option vests at $6 million, he can earn a potential $2.5 million in performance bonuses next season. If it vests at $5 million, he can earn a potential $3.5 million in bonuses.

Liriano is 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA in five starts since joining the Pirates.

-Ken Rosenthal

The Kansas City Royals were a trendy pick to be one of baseball’s surprise teams this year. For a while, that was the case: With a May 1 win over Tampa Bay, Kansas City moved into the American League Central lead.

Since then, the Royals are 6-14 – tied with Houston for the AL’s second-worst record during that span.

Despite the three-week skid, Royals general manager Dayton Moore has not made major changes to his team, other than sending reliever Kelvin Herrera to Triple-A Omaha this week. Alcides Escobar (.202), Chris Getz (.188), Jeff Francoeur (.161) and Mike Moustakas (.149) have remained in the everyday lineup despite dismal May batting averages.

And Moore has no plans to change managers, telling FOXSports.com Friday that Ned Yost has done a “great” job this year and has only gotten better since taking the position in May 2010.

Moore spoke glowingly of Yost’s leadership and steadiness with young players during a telephone interview and added, “He’s the least of our problems.”

One source indicates that owners David Glass and Dan Glass have given Moore a high degree of autonomy over major team decisions, including Yost’s future. So, at least for now, Yost has good job security.

The Royals have suffered a relatively low number of significant injuries this year, but Moore expressed hope that Jarrod Dyson can spark the lineup once he returns from a sprained right ankle. The Royals are last in the AL with 28 home runs, and Dyson’s speed had become a valuable commodity.

Dyson has an .847 OPS in 18 games this year. Kansas City is just 1-7 since Dyson’s most recent game.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

The Diamondbacks are that rare contender that might not act as buyers at the non-waiver deadline. They lack an obvious need, and soon might face a number of surpluses:

*Center fielder Adam Eaton is expected to return from a strained left elbow by the end of the month, giving the team four quality outfielders – Eaton, Jason Kubel, Cody Ross and one of the league’s best producers, Gerardo Parra.

*Infielder Willie Bloomquist is getting close to returning from a strained right intercostal, and second baseman Aaron Hill figures to come back from his broken left hand in June, likely jeopardizing the roster spots of Cliff Pennington and Josh Wilson.

*Right-hander Daniel Hudson is expected to return from Tommy John surgery in about three weeks, giving the D-backs the option of using him as a starter or reliever. All of the team’s starters currently are healthy. None is performing poorly.

A need could arise for a late-inning reliever if closer J.J. Putz fails to recover from elbow trouble. But general manager Kevin Towers said that he is “100 percent confident” that Putz will return.

Some teams would consider moving its excess pieces for prospects, and young pitchers in particular. The Diamondbacks, of course, could take such a route. But frankly, they’re deep in young pitching, too.

Towers attributes the high ERAs of Triple A left-hander Tyler Skaggs (5.93) and righties Randall Delgado (7.62) and Chase Anderson (5.47) to the hitter-friendly conditions of the Reno ballpark and the Pacific Coast League in general.

The D-Backs also have three future rotation candidates at Double A – righty Archie Bradley and lefties David Holmberg and Andrew Chafin. Bradley, one of the game’s top prospects, has a 0.90 ERA in four starts since his promotion from A ball.

Towers said the D-Backs will not promote Bradley to the majors this season, preferring for him to complete his normal development.

As stacked as the team is right now in both the majors and minors, there simply is no need to rush.

-Ken Rosenthal

Anthony Rendon, the Nationals’ brilliant third-base prospect, started at second base for Double A Harrisburg on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Steve Lombardozzi replaced the slumping Danny Espinosa at second for the Nats in their 8-0 loss to the Giants in San Francisco.

The obvious conclusion, now that Ryan Zimmerman is back playing third, is that the Nationals might be grooming Rendon to take over for Espinosa at second. But manager Davey Johnson said that the team is not yet considering such a plan.

“We like him – we like him a lot,” Johnson said of Rendon. “But putting him at second at the major-league level, he’s not there yet. He’s not (playing second) specifically. He’s just occasionally going over there.”

Rendon indeed has played only four games at second at Double A, along with one at shortstop and 23 at third. Johnson said that both Lombardozzi and Triple A infielder Zach Walters rank ahead of him as candidates to replace Espinosa, if the Nats were to make such a move.

But Espinosa, Lombardozzi and Walters aren’t hitting.

Rendon is.

In fact, Rendon is batting .390 with a .500 on-base percentage and 1.280 OPS in 72 plate appearances since returning to Double A after his eight-game callup with the Nationals.

Espinosa, for the season, is batting .163 with a .488 OPS, 38 strikeouts and three walks. Lombardozzi is batting .222 with a .536 OPS. And Walters is batting .226 with a .709 OPS at Triple A.

The Nats need more of an offensive boost.

The team ranks 13^th in the National League in runs per game, ahead of only the Dodgers and Marlins. Its run differential of minus-25 is barely ahead of that of the Mets, who are minus-29.

Rendon, however, is blocked by Zimmerman, whose continuing throwing problems raise the question of whether the Nats erred by re-signing first baseman Adam LaRoche a two-year, free-agent contract last off-season.

The Nats’ other option was to move left fielder Michael Morse to first base, then allow Morse to depart as a free agent at the end of the season, opening first for Zimmerman and third for Rendon.

Instead, the Nats traded Morse to the Mariners in a three-team deal that brought back three pitching prospects from the Athletics – A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen and Ian Krol.

Morse has hit 10 homers for the Mariners, and some rival scouts and executives believe that the Nationals miss his presence offensively, even as LaRoche has started to recover from his slow start.

But the Morse-LaRoche decision is in the past. Rendon is the future. And it will be interesting to see if, in the days and weeks ahead, the Nats try to find a way to get him on their roster.

-Ken Rosenthal

Asked to assess the Phillies’ position, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. responded in typically blunt fashion.

“We’re in a great spot,” Amaro said Thursday. “We’ve played terrible. And we’re 3 1/2 games out.”

Amaro has a point, as far as the NL East standings are concerned.

The first-place Braves are 10-17 since opening the season 12-1, while the second-place Nationals are 14-17 since their 7-2 start.

On the other hand, the Phillies (19-22) are starting to show encouraging signs, winning three of their last four against two strong clubs, the Diamondbacks and Indians.

A significant test looms this weekend when the Phillies host the Reds (Saturday, MLB on Fox, 4:05 p.m. ET). After that, the Phils begin an eight-game road trip to Miami, Washington and Boston.

Amaro said that changes in the team’s struggling middle-relief corps are possible over the next few weeks, with the Phillies currently weighing their options in the minor leagues.

He also said that two of the team’s biggest stars — left-hander Cole Hamels and first baseman Ryan Howard — are trying too hard to justify their massive contracts.

Hamels, in the first year of a six-year, $144 million extension, is 1-6 with a 4.61 ERA. Howard, in the second year of a five-year, $125 million deal, is batting .245 with a .713 OPS, six homers and 22 RBI.

“Cole’s stuff has been good, but he’s pitching with the weight of the world on his shoulders,” Amaro said. “He needs to relax. And it’s the same with Ryan Howard.

“They’re getting all that money and they’re trying to be something they’re not. They just need to relax and play.”

— Ken Rosenthal

The fine print in Roy Oswalt’s contract with the Rockies reflects the team’s desire for him to be a successful member of its starting rotation.

Oswalt, 35, signed a minor-league deal that will pay him $15,000 per month in the minors and a pro-rated portion of $2.3 million in the majors, according to a copy of the deal obtained by FOXSports.com.

The deal also includes a $400,000 bonus once Oswalt is added to the major-league roster, plus incentives that max out at $1.35 million for 18 starts and $1.25 million for 110 innings pitched.

Oswalt will receive $250,000 each for making eight, 10 and 12 starts, and $200,000 each for making 14, 16 and 18 starts. He also will get $100,000 for 50 innings pitched, $150,000 for 60, and $200,000 each for 70, 80, 90, 100 and 110.

If he is not on the major-league roster on June 18 or 28, he can request his release if he is not added to the roster within 72 hours.

-Ken Rosenthal

Twenty-nine strikeouts, one walk.

Those are right-hander Kevin Gausman’s numbers in 28 2/3 innings for the Orioles at Double A. And while Triple A right-hander Freddy Garcia likely will start Friday or Saturday in Anaheim, Gausman, 22, might not be in the minors much longer.

The Orioles, after demoting right-hander Jake Arrieta, are trying to establish a fifth starter. Garcia is the logical next choice — he’s 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA at Triple A, and he can exercise an out in his contract if he is not in the majors by May 15, a major league source said.

After that, the Orioles could turn to righty Jair Jurrjens, who is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA at Triple A and has an out date of June 15, according to the Baltimore Sun. In Gausman’s case, it would make sense for the team to keep him in the minors until at least June to prevent him from attaining “Super Two” status and gaining an extra year of arbitration.

The Orioles need not use Gausman as a starter immediately — they could break him in as reliever, supplementing one of their strengths. Either way, general manager Dan Duquette showed last season that he is willing to aggressively promote his top young talent, summoning third baseman Manny Machado and then right-hander Dylan Bundy.

Gausman, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, is 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA at Double A. While his strikeout-to-walk ratio is excellent, he is allowing more than a hit per inning. Bundy, meanwhile, is out with right flexor mass tightness and unlikely to rejoin the Orioles anytime soon — he received an injection of platelet-rich plasma on Monday and will be shut down for six weeks.

Rival scouts, executives and players were impressed with Gausman in spring training. The Red Sox’s Jonny Gomes, who faced Gausman twice, said, “A young guy like that who throws 98 and can throw his off-speed stuff for strikes? ... Forget about it.”

— Ken Rosenthal

The Brewers’ Jean Segura doesn’t look like a classic shortstop — he’s 5 feet 10 and 165 pounds, with a thick lower half. So, when trying to determine a “comp,” something baseball people love to do, Brewers director of pro scouting Zack Minasian went off the board entirely.

Minasian mentioned a player that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin once acquired for the Texas Rangers, but one who bears absolutely no physical resemblance to Segura.

Are you sitting down?

Michael Young.

Segura, Melvin said, is similar to Young because of his energy, his instincts, even his relatively low profile when he was a prospect in the Angels organization. Young, too, was mostly unknown early in his career with the Blue Jays.

Young exceeded expectations, and now it appears that Segura — the centerpiece of the Brewers’ three-player haul for right-hander Zack Greinke last July — might do the same.

Segura, 23, skipped Triple A after the Brewers promoted him on Aug. 6, opened the current season as the team’s starting shortstop and concluded April with a .367 batting average, second only to the Braves’ Chris Johnson in the National League.

Critics will point to Seguara’s low walk rate and .400 batting average on balls in play as evidence that his April surge is unsustainable. Fair enough, and no one expects Segura finish with a .567 slugging mark or .985 OPS, either.

But to a degree, such talk misses the point.

Segura is an infectious sort who finds different ways to help the Brewers win. He has three doubles, three triples and three homers. He’s 7 for 8 in stolen-base attempts. And though some with the Angels thought he would be better at second, he’s an above-average defender at short with quick hands and quick feet.

Melvin was still talking Wednesday about a play that Segura made the previous night when the Brewers went to an infield shift against the Pirates’ left-handed hitting Pedro Alvarez with one out and a runner on first base.

Second baseman Rickie Weeks shaded toward the first-base hole, and Segura set up barely on the shortstop side of second and deep, touching the outfield grass.

Melvin, sitting in his box at Miller Park, recalled looking at the configuration and saying out loud, “There’s no way we’re getting a double play.”

Or so the GM thought.

Alvarez hit the ball to Segura, who raced to touch second, then threw to first to get Alvarez and end the inning.

“He’s like a quarterback who can hit receivers while on the run,” Melvin said. “He doesn’t have to stop and get set. He can be moving right, moving left, moving in and still get the throw off and be accurate.”

He may look more like Ron Belliard than Michael Young, but never mind appearances. Segura is proving to be quite an original, a player without any comps.

— Ken Rosenthal

The St. Louis Cardinals may not need to shop for a closer after all.

Earlier this week, it appeared the Cardinals would be an early and enthusiastic entrant to the marketplace for bullpen help. With closer Jason Motte already on the disabled list and possibly done for the year, Mitchell Boggs surrendered four earned runs while recording only one out in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia.    

But the Cardinals haven’t lost since – thanks, in large part, to their bullpen.

Edward Mujica – substitute closer, fill-in closer, whatever term you’d like to use – recorded saves in every game of the Cardinals’ three-game road sweep in Washington. Mujica is 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has a 1.00 ERA in nine appearances this season. Also, 24-year-old Joe Kelly has not allowed a run in his last four outings, as manager Mike Matheny has shifted his responsibilities later in the game.

So, it appears Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak was correct in expressing confidence earlier this week that the Cardinals could work through their bullpen issues internally. Mozeliak told FOXSports.com that he would consider other ways to improve, such as trades, “but that would not be in the near future.”

Mozeliak should get clarity on Motte’s status within the next couple weeks. Motte is on the disabled list with an elbow ailment and may need season-ending Tommy John surgery if his condition doesn’t improve soon.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is among the many pitchers across the majors who have shown decreased velocity early this season, as Jeff Passan detailed in a recent story for Yahoo! Sports.

Verlander’s average fastball this season has registered 93.2 miles per hour, according to PITCHf/x data on FanGraphs.com. That’s his lowest mark in the seven seasons for which such data is available; his average last year was 94.7 mph.

Passan’s research cited figures from Baseball Info Solutions (91.9 mph) and Brooks Baseball (92.5 mph), in comparison to Verlander’s April 2012 reading of 93.8 mph, according to FanGraphs.com. So, the drop could be as much as roughly 2 miles per hour.

Verlander, 30, acknowledged Wednesday that he’s aware his velocity is down. But he doesn’t seem concerned, either. “The most encouraging thing is it’s been picking up my last couple starts,” he said.

Verlander, who said he feels completely healthy, pointed out that he’s still building arm strength because he delayed the start of his offseason throwing program after logging 266 2/3 innings last year.

The 2008 season marked the last time Verlander’s average fastball dipped below 94 mph, according to PITCHf/x. That was his worst season in the big leagues. But Verlander is better able to handle the decrease this season (however long it lasts) than he was then. His command and secondary pitches are far more advanced, and pitching in the low 90s with increased movement (especially early in games) has become a larger part of his overall approach.

Verlander’s performance has not suffered to any noticeable degree. He’s 2-2 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts this season, entering Thursday’s intriguing matchup with Kansas City ace James Shields.

— Jon Paul Morosi