Saturday roster moves raise 3 big questions for KC Royals

With just three weeks left on their 2023 schedule, the KC Royals announced four significant changes to their roster before Saturday's game with Toronto. To the Injured Lists go pitcher Austin Cox (60-day List with a left knee issue manager Matt Quatraro reportedly says could be an ACL injury) and catcher Freddy Fermin (10-day with a finger fracture), while Brad Keller returns from a long IL stint and catcher Tyler Cropley heads from Double-A to the majors.

The moves, all but Keller's reactivation prompted by necessity, beg some questions.

Will missing the rest of the season hurt KC Royals reliever Austin Cox?

Until suffering his knee injury Friday night against Toronto, Cox, part of the club's 2018 draft class that boasted a slew of top pitching prospects, was making an arguably decent case to return to Kansas City's bullpen next season. He left the game with a 4.54 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 35.2 innings, numbers that, while not ideal, certainly aren't the worst among KC's lackluster relief corps.

But landing on the 60-day IL with three weeks left in this campaign means he won't pitch again until next year, and might impact whatever plans the Royals have for him. He's eligible for this winter's Rule 5 draft, which means Kansas City must include him on its 40-man roster in November or risk losing him to another club in the December draft. The Royals left him unprotected last year; a knee injury won't improve his prospects for 2023 Rule 5 protection, and could give other clubs pause should Kansas City not shield him this time around.

Next question...

Why did the KC Royals choose to bring back Brad Keller this season?

Good question. Keller hasn't thrown a big league pitch since May, when right shoulder impingement syndrome forced him onto the IL. The two-time club Pitcher of the Year was 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA at the time, but had walked 40 batters in 43.1 innings and surrendered 11 runs over his last 13 frames.

Keller also struggled on subsequent minor league rehabilitation assignments, going 3-4, 10.24 across stops in the Arizona Complex League and at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. But he pitched two scoreless innings in each of his most recent outings (Sept. 1 and 4).

Keller's return means any concerns (if any) the Royals have about his shoulder must be minimal, which helps explain why he's back with the club. He'll pitch sooner or later — he wouldn't be on the 28-man roster unless the club plans to use him. And because he'll be a free agent for the first time after the World Series ends (unless KC chooses to re-sign him before then, which seems extremely unlikely), the front office probably wants to see how he'll fare against major league bats before deciding whether to pursue him over the winter.

And the final question...