Hunter Harvey DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they placed right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 8) with a right teres-major strain and recalled right-hander Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Harvey was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain, which is the most mild, so he could be ready to return to the Royals' bullpen when his 15 days are up. Veteran Carlos Estevez has settled in as KC's closer early on in 2025, with Lucas Erceg serving as the primary late-inning setup man. With Harvey on the shelf for a little bit, expect John Schreiber to be leaned on more in high-leverage setup spots. Although he won't see many save chances, if any, Harvey is a key member of the Royals bullpen and had tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings with no walks and seven K's in his first six outings this year.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (back) has been progressing with his throwing program after a few days of no activity and threw a bullpen session on Sunday. The Royals had to see how he felt on Monday to determine his next steps. Harvey has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 7 after he felt something pull in his back during his normal pre-game routine earlier that week. He also suffered a setback in his rehab program on Aug. 20 when he received a cortisone injection because his back wasn't loosening up as much as he or the team would have liked. The 29-year-old could require another bullpen session but appears close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Once he's ready to return to the major-league bullpen, Harvey is expected to serve in a late-inning, high-leverage setup role for KC.

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Hunter Harvey's back "wasn't loosening up" as much as he or the team would have liked by Monday and Tuesday, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Harvey received a cortisone injection on Tuesday, which will shut him down from all activity until Thursday or Friday, but Quatraro said the hurler could be throwing again by the end of the week. Harvey was thought to be making good progress over the last week since he went on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 7, but this pushes his timeline back at least until the Royals can see how he responds to the injection and determine his next steps. The 29-year-old right-hander seemed to be pushing for closing duties in KC's bullpen before getting sidelined, so fantasy managers should pay attention to this late-inning hierarchy going forward.