3 KC Royals pitchers who are not helping themselves during spring training

With nearly a month of spring training games left, there’s still time for players on the Kansas City Royals' 40-man bubble to turn things around. But every game counts, and some Royals pitchers are already digging themselves into a hole in Arizona.

Austin Cox, LHP

Cox got off to a record-setting start with Kansas City in 2023, but his momentum was derailed by a torn ACL and MCL damage in a September 8 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mercer product made a relatively quick return to the mound, but his first spring training action in two years isn’t doing him any favors.

Cox has been hit hard in both of his outings, allowing two runs in each appearance while walking as many batters as he’s struck out. The most concerning takeaway? All of the hits he’s allowed have come off his four-seam fastball — a pitch he leaned on 48.6% of the time in the majors. While his velocity has ticked up, it’s not fooling hitters, leading to a ton of hard contact.

His secondary offerings, particularly the changeup and curveball, haven’t shown enough as true out-pitches. Given that his only path back to the Royals is as a reliever, he needs to sharpen his arsenal quickly. There’s still time left in camp, but Cox’s early struggles aren’t making a strong case for a roster spot.

Ross Stripling, RHP

The Milwaukee Brewers lit up the Royals on Thursday, handing Kansas City a 12-5 loss, and the biggest damage came in the sixth inning — a five-run frame that included two home runs. All of those runs? They landed on Ross Stripling.

Stripling, a nine-year MLB veteran, joined Kansas City on a minor-league deal this month. While he’s a former All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, those days feel far removed. The hope was that he could provide pitching depth, but after Thursday’s outing, that value is in question.

There’s no Statcast data from the game, but Stripling’s approach was clear. His control wasn’t an issue, as he consistently worked low in the zone with situationally sensible pitches out of the zone. But that predictability might have been his downfall. Stripling also left too many pitches over the heart of the plate, a major issue in 2024 that resurfaced against the Milwaukee Brewers.

This is only one outing, but it was his first impression for Royals fans — and it wasn’t good. If he can’t find success in a pitch-to-contact role, his time in professional baseball might be running out altogether.

Carlos Hernández, RHP

This is a short one, because Carlos Hernández's leash in Kansas City is also seemingly short. He opened spring by allowing four runs to the Dodgers, but followed it up with a clean, nine-pitch shutout inning in his next appearance. That’s the Hernández experience in a nutshell — flashes of dominance mixed with frustrating inconsistency.

With no remaining minor-league options, Hernández is fighting for a bullpen spot. The early returns aren’t promising — his four-seam fastball is down more than 1 mph, and while he’s been focusing on his knuckle curve, his slider still looks like a more reliable out-pitch.

If the first outing ends up being an outlier, Hernández could still make the Opening Day roster. But right now, he’s in a make-or-break spring, and the margin for error is razor-thin.