KC Royals make big rotation change, shut down 2 relievers

Manager Matt Quatraro disclosed pitching staff moves Tuesday afternoon.

Mike Gillespie

Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

KC Royals manager Matt Quatraro's Tuesday pregame huddle with the media was hardly routine. Instead, the skipper whose club begins a three-game road series in Washington tonight revealed major news about his pitching staff.

According to Royals television analyst Joel Goldberg, starter Michael Lorenzen, out with a hamstring injury since late August, will return Wednesday and start against the Nationals that night. Displaced from the rotation will be Alec Marsh, who'll move to the bullpen.

Goldberg also reports relievers James McArthur and Hunter Harvey, both of whom are on the Injured List Lorenzen is getting ready to leave, won't pitch again this season. MLB.com Royals beat reporter Anne Rogers reported they won't pitch in the postseason, either.

The Michael Lorenzen and Alec Marsh moves aren't surprising

That Lorenzen is taking what would have been Marsh's Wednesday start against the Nationals isn't too surprising. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Rangers, 10-year big league veteran Lorenzen was pitching well for Kansas City until suffering a hamstring injury against Cleveland Aug. 27. Marsh, on the other hand, has been inconsistent in his second major league campaign and is 2-4 with a concerning 5.53 ERA over his last 10 games.

So, moving Lorenzen in, and Marsh out, of Wednesday's starting assignment is a logical move, one that gives the Royals a far more experienced starter at a critical juncture of their season — going into Tuesday night's game at Nationals Park, the club was tied with Detroit for the second American League Wild Card, and four clubs were all within 4.5 games of that position .

Lorenzen is slated to square off against Washington left-hander DHJ Herz, who's 4-8 with a 4.30 ERA, in Wednesday evening's contest. Expect Marsh to pitch anywhere Quatraro needs him.

Kansas City will have to make a corresponding roster move when Lorenzen's reactivation becomes official.

The KC Royals have shut down James McArthur and Hunter Harvey

Like the team's moves with Lorenzen and Marsh, the news about McArthur and Harvey wasn't shocking.

Harvey, who the Royals picked up in a July trade with the Nationals, has been on the Injured List with a back issue since mid-August McArthur, suffering from a UCL sprain, went on the IL Sept. 17.

Harvey pitched only six times for the Royals. He was charged with four runs, walked four, and struck out five in 5.2 innings; he saved a game but didn't figure in any decisions. His contract expires at the end of this season.

McArthur finishes with 18 saves, the most by any Royal since Scott Barlow saved 24 games two seasons ago, but a 4-7, 4.92 ERA in 57 relief appearances. Because he won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2025 campaign, he's under team control.

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Mike Gillespie

Mike Gillespie is a Contributor at Kings of Kauffman, where he began writing about the Royals in 2019. He's also served as a Site Expert and Site Co-Expert and has written almost 1,500 stories about the Royals since joining the site. He also makes occasional radio guest appearances to talk about the Royals. Mike has followed baseball since watching his first game on TV in 1963. Among other interesting life pursuits, he's been an award-winning sportswriter for a Kansas daily newspaper and a police officer, and is now a semi-retired lawyer who spends most of his time writing about baseball and playing golf.