3 KC Royals starters who'll begin 2024 in Triple-A, 2 who won't

Is Daniel Lynch IV an odd-man out?

Lynch, a part of the Royals’ pitcher-heavy 2018 draft class, is perhaps the most well-known of the three pitchers likely to start the season in Omaha. He's been the third-best member of that famous 2018 group behind Singer and Kris Bubic, but he also has a 5.18 ERA as a Royal. While he's had minor league success, Lynch has struggled in Kansas City. He walks too many batters and doesn't get many strikeouts.

He's also battled injuries. Lynch started last season on the Injured List List with a shoulder strain, then pitched only nine games in the majors and ended the season back on the IL. Last season simply wasn't the kind of year the club wants from a pitcher expected to be a core element of its starting rotation.

In a postseason press conference (watch it here), Picollo suggested he wasn’t going to wait any longer for starting pitching, and he didn’t. The general manager went out and signed Wacha and Lugo in December, having previously pushed Lynch into a tough spot with the signing of Cessa. Lynch might be on the outside looking in if he doesn't right himself soon. Expect him to be in Omaha to begin the season.