Alec

Marsh

It’s merely a procedural move as Marsh was always expected to open the year on the injured list due to right shoulder soreness. The 26-year-old righty figures to be an option for Kansas City’s rotation at some point in late April.

Marsh, 26, told reporters that he “responded” well to the session. The right-hander has been dealing with soreness in his right shoulder, and while it’s a positive sign that he was able to face hitters over the weekend, his status for Opening Day in a little over two weeks is still in question.

Marsh entered spring as the favorite for the fifth starter job in Kansas City but was delayed due to right shoulder soreness. On Monday, he threw 25 pitches at a “normal” intensity in his first bullpen session of the spring. “That first bullpen was very promising,” Marsh said, “Now we just build on that and get to the next one. … When you think about health for the whole year, we’ve got to make sure we do it right, listen to my body correctly and not try to push it so far this early.” There is still a chance that Marsh will not be ready for Opening Day, which gives Kris Bibic, Daniel Lynch IV, and Noah Cameron a shot to steal the final spot in the rotation.

Marsh was the fifth starter last year, pitching to a 4.53 ERA in 25 starts across 129 innings. This season he’ll face stiff competition from Kris Bubic, who came back from Tommy John surgery and posted a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 39/5 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Kyle Wright also has starting experience back with the Braves and Daniel Lynch was tremendous out of the bullpen at the end of the season for the Royals, not allowing a single run over his final 20 2/3 inning.

Marsh is throwing everyday, but the right-hander may be behind in facing hitting according to Quatraro. If healthy, Marsh is expected to be a member of the rotation for the Royals to begin 2025.

In the wake of Brady Singer being shipped to Cincinnati, Bubic will get a shot in Kansas City’s starting rotation after pitching exclusively in relief last season following his return from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old lefty excelled in shorter bursts out of the bullpen, finishing with a sparkling 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 39/5 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings (27 appearances). The central question for fantasy purposes is whether Bubic will come remotely close to replicating last year’s astronomical 32 percent strikeout rate as a traditional starter after never topping 25 percent in any of his previous four seasons at the highest level. He’ll have to beat out Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh in spring training, and will also likely have an innings limit in his first full season back from Tommy John. However, last year’s transition to a fastball/slider combo, while also mixing in the occasional changeup, gives him a shot a continuing to miss bats, and could make him a viable early-season streaming option for fantasy purposes. He certainly fits the bill as a deep sleeper heading into spring training.

This would have been Cole Ragans’ day to pitch for the Royals, but he was scratched after the team clinched. Marsh stepped in and proved quite effective, aside from a Gio Urshela homers. He concludes the season 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA. In some years, that would have made him the Royals’ ace. This year, though, it wasn’t enough for a permanent place in the rotation.

It was clear from the get-go that Marsh didn’t have his best stuff in this one. He needed 30 pitches to get through the first inning and was fortunate to keep Detroit off the board. Then, a third inning home run from Riley Greene and eventual two-run double from Trey Sweeney chased him from this game. He threw just 41% of his pitches for strikes and could not get anyone to bite on either his slider or curveball. He’ll try to get back on track in his next scheduled start against the Nationals.

Marsh previously struck out 11 in a start against the Rays last year. His high this year had been eight, and he had totaled 12 strikeouts in three starts since returning from the minors at the end of last month. Marsh improved to 8-8 with a 4.52 ERA on the year. He’ll have a home start against Detroit next time out, making him a decent option in mixed leagues.

Marsh gave up four hits, walked none and struck out five. Marsh allowed both runs in the third inning on an RBI triple by Jose Miranda and an RBI double by Matt Wallner. He has a 4.66 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 116 innings this year. The 26-year-old right-hander is set to face the Pirates on the road next week.