KC Royals could lose this surging veteran pitcher if they don't act fast

After June 15 came and went and Rich Hill didn't exercise and no immediate news came on whether or not he exercised his opt-out clause in his minor league contract, the thought was perhaps he stayed with the club after all.

And as it turned out, yesterday afternoon FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray confirmed that Hill had in fact not exercised said option and would remain within the Kansas City Royals organization.

That being said, even though he might still be part of the immense veteran depth the Royals currently have at their disposal, they may need to act soon if they wish to keep the 45-year-old within their ranks.

KC Royals could lose Rich Hill if they don't act fast

According to Murray’s report, he writes that a source informed him that the Royals “will not stand in his way” should a major league opportunity arise elsewhere for the veteran southpaw.

The wording of this statement could indicate what many Royals fans already know about their current active roster, and that is the fact that pitching - especially starting pitching - is not at the forefront of their current needs at the MLB level at this stage of the season.

In fact entering Wednesday’s contest with the Texas Rangers, Kansas City’s starting rotation sat 4th in all of baseball in ERA at 3.37 while also ranking within the top 10 in FIP (10th at 3.74), WHIP (7th at 1.18) and BAA (T-6th at .230).

Even with the loss of ace Cole Ragans to the IL for what could be an extended period of time, they're still more than covered in the rotation at the major league level between Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron and Michael Lorenzen. Not to mention the long-awaited Royals debut of Kyle Wright should not be a long way away now.

This certainly isn't a slight on Hill's performance since signing his minor league deal back in mid-May, as while it may have looked confusing at the time, the veteran hurler has performed well in the minors for the most part - putting a lackluster short-lived stint with the Boston Red Sox in 2024 behind him.

After mixed reviews in his first two starts in the Arizona Complex League - with one excellent start and one that left a lot to be desired - the 2002 fourth round pick has looked sharp in the last two starts of his three appearances in Triple-A Omaha.

After throwing six innings of one-hit ball on June 7, Hill would follow that up with a five inning, two-run outing where he struck out nine in the process.

Through 16 innings across those three starts, he's thrown to a very respectable 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .167 BAA.

Apart from they're already crowded starting rotation, a 5.16 FIP in Omaha could be one of the factors that hold Hill back from appearing in the majors for his 21st season, as it implies the veteran has gotten somewhat lucky.

All that to say, a sub-3.00 ERA regardless of how one achieves it is bound to catch the eyes of teams across the league, as there's likely several organizations that could use experienced pitching depth like Hill in their ranks.

Whether or not he will get another opportunity in the majors in his mid-40s is purely speculative right now and a story for a different day. However, another start like the one he just had this past weekend at the highest level of the minor leagues could make it very enticing for another organization to want to pull the trigger on him if the Royals don't act first.