Kyle

Wright

Wright will continue to throw, but he won’t throw off the mound until his hamstring strain is recovered, which could be a couple of weeks. That sets him back in the competition for the fifth starter spot in Kansas City and is a tough break for somebody who has battled a lot of injuries in recent seasons. With Alec March also delayed due to an injury, Kris Bubic would seem to have a leg up for the final rotation spot in Kansas City.

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.

Wright has yet to throw a pitch for the Royals after missing all of last year following shoulder surgery. The 29-year-old righty is expected to be in the mix for a spot in Kansas City’s starting rotation once spring training rolls around. There’s some fantasy intrigue here if the stuff bounces back to pre-surgery levels, but there are going to be some workload limitations following an extended layoff.

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.

The procedural move opens up a spot on Kansas City’s 40-man roster for them to acquire reliever John Schreiber from the Red Sox. Wright, who was acquired from the Braves in a mid-November swap, will miss the entire 2024 season recovering from right shoulder surgery.

Wright probably would have done a little better here if he weren’t going to miss most or all of 2024 following shoulder surgery, but he’s still a first-time arbitration guy with only one good season under his belt, even if that one season saw him win 21 games. The Royals will have him at a similar salary for 2025, when he’ll hopefully be healthy and part of their rotation.

Wright will miss the entire 2024 campaign recovering from right shoulder surgery, but he represents an intriguing (and potentially worthwhile) long-term gamble for Kansas City’s starting rotation mix. The 28-year-old righty led the majors with 21 victories during the 2022 campaign before an onslaught of shoulder issues limited him to just nine appearances (seven starts) this past season. He’s the definition of a lottery ticket at this juncture.

The surgery, which was originally reported last week, was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas. Wright was limited to nine appearances (seven starts) this year due to persistent shoulder issues and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2024 season.

Wright was placed on the injured list after an MRI on Friday revealed additional right shoulder damage, which will wind up requiring a surgical procedure. There isn’t an exact timetable for his return yet, but Snitker indicated that he’s expected to miss the entire 2024 season. It’s a tough break for the 28-year-old right-hander, who has battled persistent shoulder issues since last offseason, which wound up limiting him to just nine appearances (seven starts) during the 2023 campaign.

Wright has battled persistent right shoulder issues since last offseason, which limited him to just nine appearances (seven starts) during the regular season, and will not pitch in the postseason. The 28-year-old right-hander’s absence, along with Charlie Morton still being sidelined, means it’ll likely be Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver taking on more prominent roles for the remainder of the playoffs.