The curtain might be closing on an MLB comeback with Royals for this veteran starter

Of the numerous mid-season free agent signings the Kansas City Royals have made this winter, there’s one veteran that stands out above the rest.

While he may not be the only award winner the Royals have brought in this year, former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel is probably the most notable name.

Since signing a minor league deal on July 9, Keuchel has spent his time in Triple-A Omaha. And after a series of injuries to the starting staff, as well as the promotion of fellow veteran signing Rich Hill last month, Keuchel seemed like he had a fairly realistic shot of getting back to the majors this season.

But with each passing day, and Keuchel still in Omaha, the likelihood of that major league return becoming a reality seems increasingly slimmer.

Will Dallas Keuchel make an MLB return with the Royals in 2025?

Keuchel isn’t having a bad season in Omaha by any means, but he isn’t exactly having a good one either.

A 3.90 ERA seems serviceable enough, but when paired with a 1.43 WHIP and .263 BAA, it becomes far less exciting. Then, when you take into account the fact he’s more of contact-oriented pitcher, with just a 16.9% K-rate, there’s reason to doubt whether or not his game will translate well to the big leagues anymore.

His recent track record of not having a major league season with an ERA below 5.00 since 2020, also makes it hard to think that a near-4.00 ERA in Triple-A this season would change his fortunes all of a sudden.

Then, there’s the matter of the other pitchers he’d be in competition with. In recent weeks, the Royals have bolstered their major league pitching depth by bringing in three names at the deadline who’ve had solid success at the MLB level this season in Bailey Falter, Ryan Bergert and Keuchel’s now Triple-A teammate Stephen Kolek.

Pair those additions with a couple of injured rotation regulars that could very well both be on their way to returning this month in Michael Lorenzen – who’s reportedly set to make his next start in the majors according to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers – and ace Cole Ragans – who just threw his first bullpen session – and suddenly the depth chart just got far more crowded with names ahead of Keuchel.

Given the Royals luck with injuries of late the chances aren’t impossible that they give him another crack at the majors, however, his chances look a lot less realistic than they may’ve looked a month ago.