5 players you already forgot were on the 2024 KC Royals

During the 2024 regular season, the Kansas City Royals didn't experience anywhere near as much roster turnover as most other clubs around the league did. The Royals only received a handful of games from multiple position players and even more from one-off pitchers, but for the most part, this unit looked largely the same all year long.

In fact, the Royals used just 21 different position players in 2024, which was tied for the second-lowest mark in all of baseball. They tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Guardians, while finishing just behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who only used 20 of them.

Let's take a look at the Royals players you've probably already forgotten from this past season's team. There aren't as many to pick from as there are in other organizations, but don't let that fool you — there are still some gems.

5 players you already forgot played for the Royals in 2024

CJ Alexander

Look, you can only say "who?!" so many times at players like Alexander before it becomes old news and is no longer funny. However, you'd get a pass for throwing a "who?" out there at this one. The corner infielder came over to the Royals at the 2022 trade deadline but didn't debut until June of this past year.

Alexander, 28, was on absolute fire down in Triple-A prior to his promotion, but his tenure in the majors only lasted four games. He went 1-for-8 with three strikeouts and was never seen again. Alexander was ultimately claimed off of waivers by the A's in September and remains a member of that organization. It was nice to know you, CJ (I think).

Dan Altavilla

It's been a few years since Altavilla was an oft-used member of the Seattle Mariners' bullpen. He's bounced around between a handful of teams and hadn't thrown a pitch at the big league level in over three years when he took the mound for the Royals in June.

The right-hander's tenure was a historic one, to be sure. In the first "start" of his career, he recorded just one out, but not before surrendering five earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Altavilla's tenure in The Show for the Royals lasted five games and a total of 3.2 innings. He went on the 60-day injured list with a right oblique strain and was immediately designated for assignment once he returned in early September. His 14.73 ERA in the big leagues wasn't enough to earn him another look before the regular season expired.

Tyler Duffey

Royals fans were intimately familiar with Duffey when he first joined the organization, as he had previously been a member of the division-rival Minnesota Twins for nearly a decade. Early in the 2024 season, the right-hander showed enough potential in Triple-A to earn a look at the game's highest level.

Duffey, 33, made just nine relief appearances spanning as many innings. He struck out 10 but walked 8, and allowed way too many runners to come around to score, so his DFA and eventual release was far from a shocker.

Jordan Lyles

For all the wrong reasons, Royals fans also are intimately familiar with Lyles. In 2023, the right-hander put up one of the worst seasons from a starting pitcher in recent memory as a member of the club's rotation.

After allowing a jawdropping 124 earned runs to the tune of a 6.28 ERA in 177.2 innings that year, his status on the 2024 team's staff was very much up in the air from the get go. Lyles, recently 34, made just five relief appearances for this year's team after Opening Day, all of which were of the scoreless variety.

After starting the season spotless, Lyles went on the restricted list due to a personal issue and never made it back. He was gone from the club for months and was ultimately released. Lyles is far from a forgotten Royals player, but does anyone really remember those five early-season relief outings? Didn't think so.

Colin Selby

Selby, a right-handed relief pitcher, left just as soon as he came to the Royals organization. He was acquired in an early-season trade with the Pirates Pirates and wound up making just two appearances for Kansas City's big-league squad.

He went 3 innings and surrendered 2 earned runs (plus 1 unearned run) on as many hits, walking 2 and failing to strike out a single batter. Selby is about as anonymous of a player as any that appeared in a game for the 2024 Royals, but he had an epic four-inning scoreless streak for the Baltimore Orioles before the season wrapped up, lowering his season ERA from 6.00 with the Royals down to 2.57.