Can Jonathan Bowlan revive his KC Royals career as a bullpen weapon?

It wasn’t that long ago that Jonathan Bowlan was a fringe top-10 prospect in the Kansas City Royals system. The former Memphis Tigers ace, part of Kansas City’s college pitcher-heavy 2018 MLB Draft class, seemed poised for a breakout season in 2021. Yet, injuries and inconsistent command derailed that trajectory, leaving him an afterthought to casual fans and a "what could have been" story to Royals prospect watchers. However, there’s still a narrow path for Bowlan to remain in the organization and find success at the MLB level — just not as a starter.

MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reported earlier this month that the Royals now view Bowlan as a full-time reliever. It’s a somewhat unexpected move, considering he was still an emergency starting option as recently as last season. Most fans have likely forgotten his April 29 spot start against the Blue Jays, and that’s probably for the best — Toronto tagged him for three home runs and four earned runs over just 2 2/3 innings. That outing was his first and only MLB appearance of 2024.

Can the KC Royals glean value from Jonathan Bowlan in 2025?

His results as a starter for Triple-A Omaha were not much better than in the big leagues. He had a 7-4 record, but his 5.31 ERA and 5.06 FIP kept him at arm's length from another opportunity with the Royals. His strikeout numbers remained solid, but home runs plagued him, especially in the hitter-friendly environment of Werner Park. If Bowlan wanted another shot at the majors, something had to change.

That shift happened after the All-Star break, when the Royals moved him to the bullpen. The difference was night and day. Bowlan split time between single-inning and multi-inning relief appearances, but the results were consistently strong. His ERA nearly halved to 2.77, with a 3.30 FIP confirming it wasn’t a fluke. His strikeout rate dipped slightly, but his walk rate and home runs allowed dropped significantly, making him a far more effective and reliable arm.

Now, Bowlan enters spring training in Arizona fully committed to a relief role. Kansas City’s bullpen already appears set, especially with right-handers, but his minor-league options give him flexibility. He isn’t an Opening Day-or-bust player, meaning he could spend 2025 bouncing between Omaha and Kansas City, serving as a reliable depth option.

Lance Brozdowski has called 2025 the "Year of the Pitch Mix", and Bowlan fits that mold well out of the bullpen. This spring, he’s leaned on his four-seam fastball, with a slider and changeup as secondary offerings. His February 22 outing featured a fastball-changeup approach against lefties, while on February 26, he stuck exclusively to a fastball-slider mix. The profiles are intriguing and, more importantly, effective.

Even though spring training stats should always be taken with caution, Bowlan has yet to allow a baserunner, recording two strikeouts in each of his appearances. While most spring training numbers don’t correlate well to regular-season performance, strikeout and walk rates do — and if Bowlan continues this trend, he could quickly force his way back into the Royals’ bullpen conversation.

There are still some lingering concerns, particularly with fastball command, but a noticeable velocity uptick and a refined changeup shape give him a strong foundation to build on this spring and carry into Triple-A. He may not be the rotation piece Kansas City once envisioned, but if his "failure" means carving out a relief role in 2025, that still qualifies as a win for both Bowlan and the Royals.