Now that he's returned, how long of a leash will the KC Royals give Sam Long?

Baseball can turn on a dime, and no one knows that better than Royals fans. Whether it's Vinnie Pasquantino rediscovering his swing or Cole Ragans falling from grace, even the Kansas City Royals fortunes can shift fast.

But zoom out for a season-over-season view, and few cases reflect that unpredictability better than left-handed reliever Sam Long, a pitcher who's trajectory has swung wildly with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

Before his appearance on saturday in San Diego, the last time Royals fans saw Long in the big leagues, it wasn’t pretty.

On April 12, he gave up three earned runs in a single inning against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing two hits and two walks. It was another rough chapter in a brutal start to his 2025 season—just one scoreless outing across seven appearances, a sky-high 12.86 ERA, and an ugly 2.43 WHIP. The Royals placed him on the 15-day IL the next day, citing left elbow inflammation—an injury that drew mixed reactions from fans who saw more performance issues than pain.

Can the KC Royals trust Sam Long, and if so, how far will that trust go?

After about five weeks on the shelf, Long began a rehab assignment on May 20 with the ACL Royals before joining Triple-A Omaha just two days later. If the plan was for a quick tune-up, things didn’t go according to script. In his Storm Chasers return on May 23, Long recorded just two outs, allowing four earned runs on three hits. He walked as many batters as he struck out. It was a brutal outing—the lowest of lows—and far from the impression Long or the Royals hoped to make.

Even setting aside that first outing, Long’s time in Omaha didn’t inspire confidence. In eight appearances since, he struck out nine and walked eight—an unsustainable ratio for a reliever still allowing opponents to hit .257 against him. His ERA during that span sat at 6.48, not even factoring in the May 23 blowup.

By June, the Royals had a decision to make: designate Long for assignment or reinstate him. On June 20, they chose the latter, adding him back to the 26-man roster. The fan reaction was swift and skeptical. It wasn’t relief; it was dread. And with a road series against the San Diego Padres looming, the stakes weren’t low.

To Long’s credit, his June 21 return in San Diego offered a glimmer of hope. Facing the heart of the Padres’ lineup, he worked a clean inning despite walking third baseman Manny Machado to start (on a first-pitch ball that easily caught the zone). Long didn’t allow a hard-hit ball, struck out infielder Jake Cronenworth, and needed just 17 pitches to get through the frame. It was, on paper, a promising outing.

But context matters. The pitch shapes on four of his five offerings were flatter than earlier in the season, and his two whiffs on seven swings, while above his career average, don’t scream dominance. The box score says solid. The metrics suggest caution. It was a good outing—but far from proof that Long is back to his early 2024 form.

So, how long should Sam Long’s leash be?

Short. Very short.

The Royals bullpen has thrived by cutting ties with obvious problem arms, not carrying them. For most of 2025, Long has been one of those arms. And with several viable relievers waiting in Omaha, he’s the lowest man on the bullpen totem pole right now.

Can he climb out of that spot? Sure. But that means more than one clean inning. It means stacking solid outings, proving he’s no longer a liability, and showing manager Matt Quatraro he can handle at least middle-leverage spots.

He didn’t do that before the IL stint. Here’s hoping he can now.