Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (shoulder) had a setback in his recovery from right-shoulder soreness on April 3 but started a throwing progression last Friday and is back in Arizona for his rehab program. The 26-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list back on March 24 and still probably has another month to go to build up his arm before being activated for his 2025 season debut. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't expect Marsh to be a starting-rotation option for the Royals until June. The former second-round pick in 2019 out of Arizona State University went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA (4.34 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 123 strikeouts and 39 walks in 129 innings over 26 outings (25 starts) in 2024 in his second year in the league. Marsh struggled down the stretch last year and was sent to the minors before also spending time in the bullpen.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (shoulder) started a throwing progression last Wednesday and has increased his workload since then. He could be headed for a minor-league rehab assignment this week. The 30-year-old reliever was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 11 (retroactive to April 8) with a right teres-major strain. Barring a setback once he starts his rehab assignment this week, Harvey could be back in the Royals' bullpen by early next week. Before injuring his shoulder, Harvey had tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing one hit, walking none and striking out seven. When he's ready to rejoin the big-league bullpen, he'll return to being a late-inning setup man for closer Carlos Estevez. In fantasy leagues that reward points for holds, Harvey will be in play when he's back in the big leagues.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Kyle Wright (hamstring, shoulder) threw four innings at extended spring training on Saturday. Wright missed all of the 2024 season due to right-shoulder surgery before suffering a hamstring strain on Feb. 18 during the start of spring training. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 24 and isn't expected to return to the big leagues until sometime in May. Because the 29-year-old didn't pitch at all in 2024, the Royals will surely be cautious in bringing him back, and Wright could be on an innings limit when he eventually does make his Royals debut. Outside of winning 21 games with a 3.19 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 2022 with the Atlanta Braves, Wright didn't throw more than 38 innings at the big-league level in Atlanta since debuting in 2018. It remains to be seen if Wright will even have a shot at a starting rotation spot for the Royals.

Although Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) has been feeling better after playing catch since suffering a mild left-groin strain in Game 1 of a doubleheader on April 24 against the Colorado Rockies, it's still unclear if he'll be able to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Ragans said he's currently day-to-day. Whether he makes the start on April 30 will depend on how he feels in the next couple of days. Ragans has now allowed nine earned runs in his last seven innings, and he said the tightness in his quad was affecting his command on breaking balls. Despite allowing two homers in his previous 27 2/3 frames (five starts), he gave up two homers to the Rockies last Thursday before being pulled. Ragans leads the American League with 46 strikeouts but will be a bit more risky in fantasy whenever he makes his next start.

Kansas City Royals Starting Pitcher Michael Wacha threw six strong innings on Saturday night, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six Astros to earn his first victory of the season. He lowered his ERA to 3.38 and his FIP to 4.20 in his five starts for Kansas City. It was a close game throughout since Framber Valdez gave up just two runs, but Wacha was even sharper, never allowing a runner to reach third base. The win moves the Royals back to .500 on the season at 14-14 and 11-4 at home. Wacha will look to build on this win in his next start, which is currently scheduled for next Friday night on the road in Baltimore.