KC Royals sign pitcher Matt Harvey to minor league contract

KC Royals, Matt Harvey (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
KC Royals, Matt Harvey (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The KC Royals have seen ups and downs so far with their pitching staff, and now they are adding a veteran presence to the mix.

The KC Royals are continuing to play live baseball. It may take a while for that to sink in for some fans, but with 56 more regular season games to play, there is time.

There have been some struggles so far this season, which were likely expected of a team that has lost 100 games 2 years in a row. At times the defense feels a little off, the offense wasn’t able to really get going until last night, and while there have been plenty of great showings from the pitching staff, there have also been plenty of issues as well.

Now, the Royals seem to be trying to add even more of a veteran presence to their pitching roster. The team announced officially that they have signed Matt Harvey to a minor league contract.

Many Royals fans may remember Harvey, who spent the first part of his career with the New York Mets, though specifically 2015 where he saw the Royals in the post season.

Harvey saw a great deal of success during his first few seasons in the majors, keeping his ERA under 3.00 and starting over 25 games in back to back years. Unfortunately, though, injury set in. Harvey has seen his fair share of time on and off the injured list and has not been able to find the form that once kept him as a force in the rotation.

While the Royals tend to enjoy signing reclamation projects to see if they can work some magic, the signing of Harvey raises some questions.

The team is hurting at the moment for starting pitching with both Jakob Junis and Brad Keller currently unavailable. They should return to the mound soon, though, filling out the rotation assuming Brady Singer is sticking around in the 5th spot.

While it’s unlikely at the moment the Royals will put Harvey into a starting role, they have made starting pitchers into relievers before and they could have the same idea with Harvey.

With new manager Mike Matheny calling the shots, though, anything is possible during this strange 2020 season. Players and pitchers are being rotated each game and every lineup brings new surprises.

There are still plenty of unknowns surrounding the signing of Matt Harvey, but it’s obvious the Royals have accepted they need to make changes to their pitching staff and are looking at both young players and veteran arms to change the pace of the game.

Harvey has struggled to get back to his best, but for the Royals, taking a small chance on a former World Series pitcher is entirely worth it and may just pay off.

Next. KC Royals: Takeaways from the season’s first series. dark

The KC Royals signed veteran Matt Harvey to a minor league deal. It should be interesting to see how he progresses and whether or not he will make it into a game this season or not.