Alec Marsh DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Kansas City Royals pitchers Alec Marsh (shoulder), Kyle Wright (shoulder/hamstring), and James McArthur (elbow) were all officially placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday. None of these come as a surprise, with all three of them battling injuries this spring. Marsh is dealing with the most minor injury of the three, with a delay in his build-up due to tightness in his shoulder. Wright has progressed to throwing bullpens but is recovering from both an offseason shoulder surgery and a hamstring strain. McArthur is likely to miss the most time, as he is still recovering from an offseason elbow surgery and hasn't begun throwing yet.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (shoulder) said he felt great in two innings of live batting practice in camp on Thursday and will continue to build his arm up. It's unclear when Marsh might be cleared to pitch in a Cactus League game, but he is making progress after arriving to spring training this year with right-shoulder tightness. Even if the 26-year-old is cleared to pitch in spring games before spring training is over, he's expected to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. In his second year in the big leagues in 2024, Marsh 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) for the Royals. He showed better control last year but faded down the stretch in his first full big league season and was sent to the minors while also spending time in relief. Marsh will make more starts for KC this year but is out of the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers.

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh (shoulder) is set to face live hitters for the first time on Sunday. The 26-year-old has been able to complete several bullpen sessions and will now take the next step in his recovery plan. Marsh was battling tightness in his shoulder during the offseason, which delayed him at the start of camp. However, it appears the 26-year-old is nearing his return to game action. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in case he faces a setback. Last season, Marsh logged a career-high 129 innings with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He tallied 123 punchouts with a strong 7.1 percent walk rate. However, he generated a high 4.97 xERA with a 40.9 percent hard-hit rate, which were both well below the average marks. When healthy, he will likely compete alongside Kris Bubic for the final spot in the starting rotation.