Royals must rethink this risky bullpen experiment before it’s too late

The Kansas City Royals drew plenty of chuckles this offseason with a few local additions to the big-league roster picture. Starter Noah Cameron and catcher Carter Jensen have formed a rare all-local-native battery for the boys in blue, and even reliever Alex Lange has gotten in on that angle as well.

But both Cameron and Lange have had their fair share of struggles to start the season. Cameron at least has the comfort of options remaining and more of an investment from the team. Lange on the other hand, is still trying to prove he can hang in the big leagues again, and if something does not change soon, he will not be on Kansas City’s roster much longer.

As of April 28, Lange owns a gaudy 7.71 ERA in 10 appearances for the Royals. His 10 earned runs allowed are already more than he gave up in the previous two seasons combined, when he pitched 19.2 innings for the Detroit Tigers. Lange is still striking out batters at an elite clip, with a 33.3% strikeout rate and a 34.5% whiff rate that ranks among the best in MLB. Unfortunately, he is also walking too many hitters and giving up plenty of solid contact, resulting in a 4.67 FIP and seven earned runs allowed in his last four appearances alone.

While the Royals optioned Eli Morgan and recalled Luinder Avila for some presumed bullpen help, Lange may be the next man out the door unless he turns in a strong West Coast road trip.

But for now, he still wears a Royals uniform. Whether that is a ringing endorsement of his potential or simply a sign that no better options are ready remains to be seen. Let’s look on the bright side for a moment. If the Royals run Lange out there against the Athletics or Seattle Mariners, is there anything he can change?

Could tweaks to his pitch-mix improve Alex Lange in 2026?

First, let’s look at his platoon splits, since Royals fans know that is what manager Matt Quatraro is looking at as well.

Unless Quatraro is trying to use Lange to draw every opposing lefty off the bench, Lange does not offer much value in this form. Lefties turn into 2024 Shohei Ohtani against him, while righties look more like 2024 MJ Melendez. In case you could not tell, that is a massive difference.

If the Royals can even begin to limit some of the damage lefties are doing against Lange, he looks like a different pitcher. Two pitches he barely throws against lefties, his sinker and knuckle curve, are doing most of that damage. There are four pitches Lange throws against lefties in single-digit usage percentages, which begs the question: does he really need six different pitches in these spots?

That is part of a larger conversation in baseball, but I believe a diversified arsenal benefits starters more than relievers. There is a big difference between needing to get three outs and needing to get 18 in one appearance. Lange needs to condense his arsenal first and foremost, leaning on what he has the best feel for instead of simply trying to show a menu of different looks.

His changeup, arguably his best pitch overall, is his most-thrown pitch against left-handed batters at 20.2%. While hitters have still done damage against it and carry a .308 expected batting average on the pitch, it remains valuable as a chase offering. It would not surprise anyone if most of that damage has come when the changeup drifts too far over the plate, such as the home run he surrendered to New York Yankees infielder Ryan McMahon on April 17.

Do not scrap that pitch entirely, nor the slider that has also performed well against lefties. It is that third offering, something that gives a fastball look to those hitters, that needs refining. It certainly should not be the sinker, but Lange’s four-seam fastball has not fooled left-handed batters much either. Still, could mixing in more four-seamers, coupled with a cutter he barely throws, be the difference-maker? That would still give Lange four distinct pitches and much tighter guardrails to work within during in-game prep.

That was essentially the game plan for Lange when he faced left-handed batters on April 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He went two innings in that outing, with 32 of his 38 total pitches coming against left-handed hitters. He was changeup-slider 75% of the time, while his fastball variations made up the other 25%. Lange allowed only one hit that day while striking out four. That combination has worked for him this season, and getting back to it could be valuable.

At the end of the day, this is a middle-leverage arm for the Royals we are talking about. But Kansas City’s bullpen has been horrendous this year and has lost the club more games than it has saved. Finding ways to get the most out of guys like Lange, Avila, and Morgan matters in long-term roster construction. Even if a tweak buys Lange only one or two more months on the roster, that still means one or two more months of the Royals having some sort of answer instead of none at all in the bullpen.

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