Forgotten veteran could play pivotal role on this KC Royals team when he returns

Over the first month of what has been quite the up-and-down season for the KC Royals, it’s quite clear that the club is slowly but surely finding just how the puzzle of the 2025 season fits together. As it turns out, there might be one more puzzle piece to try and fit into the picture before too long.

Veteran pitcher Kyle Wright hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2023 season, but he seems bound and determined to return to the mound in a major league game this year. And at least for now, if he does manage to pull that off, it will be in Kansas City.

Kyle Wright starts rehab assignment as KC Royals consider long-term pitching plans

That’s because the KC Royals announced earlier this week that Wright is beginning a rehab assigned in Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and his first start went well on Friday night. The question now is just how long this rehab assignment might be, and what the club does with him if and when it’s clear he’s ready to come to Kauffman.

Wright dealt with a shoulder injury that required surgery in 2023, and it’s thought that his rehab assignment will be relatively long, but should he be able to show that he really is healthy, there’s a question as to how Kansas City will use him.

At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be an opening in the starting rotation. That’s only an issue because when the former Braves hurler has pitched, it’s been almost exclusively as a starter. 

On the other hand, should he spend the next month or so demonstrating that he can stay off the IL, the Royals are going to want to acquire a bat or two at the trade deadline. One of their current best trade chips might be Michael Lorenzen. Should Wright look like he could slide into the rotation, it might make it easier to deal Lorenzen for a hitter.

If the KC Royals are able to get a healthy Kyle Wright - a Kyle Wright who went 21-5 in 2022 - he could be quite the puzzle piece for a team looking for creative ways to compete for a return to the playoffs. Just how he might be used will be determined over the next few weeks and offers a low-risk, high-reward possibility.