The Kansas City Royals entered the offseason with a lot of starting pitching options to examine for next season, but one appears to already be out of the picture.
Kyle Wright came to the Royals in a trade with the Atlanta Braves two offseasons ago, coming off shoulder surgery that cost him most of the 2023 season. The Royals knew he would be rehabbing for most of last year, but hoped he would be able to impact their rotation for 2025.
Not only did Wright fail to pitch for the Royals in his two years on the roster, but as of Tuesday, it appears the most likely scenario is that he moves on to a new team without the Royals getting anything for him in return.
According to a report from Jon Heyman of the celebrity.land, the Royals placed Wright on outright waivers on Tuesday, making him eligible for any team to claim him and pay whatever he’s slated to earn in 2026, which will be his final year of arbitration.
“Kyle Wright placed on outright waivers by Royals,” Heyman wrote. “Former 5th overall pick won 21 games and (received) Cy Young votes in 2022. Lengthy rehab process after capsule surgery, recovered from oblique strain. Bounceback candidate in 2026.”
Wright, 30, was one of the stars in the Braves’ rotation in 2022, and he got a World Series ring in 2021 as well. Other than that, his career has been constantly interrupted by injuries, as 30 of his 60 career appearances came in just one out of his seven years since debuting in the big leagues.
Though Wright did make eight rehab outings for Triple-A Omaha, the results did little to improve his long-term outlook. He pitched to a 5.48 ERA in 23 innings, and the velocity on his fastball was a few ticks down from where it was during his peaks in Atlanta.
If no team feels confident enough to jump the line and claim Wright for a guaranteed salary, he’ll become a free agent, at which point any team could theoretically grab him for a minor-league deal and an invitation to spring training.
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