Snakebitten Royals righty suffers season-ending surgery months before 2026 begins

Injuries to the rotation became a real theme for the Kansas City Royals, with several names landing on the IL for extended periods of time during the 2025 campaign.

Some didn't even manage to throw a pitch last season like Alec Marsh who was forced to the sidelines for the entirety of the year with a right shoulder impingement.

It was a season Marsh likely wanted to put behind him, but unfortunately the 27-year-old has faced yet another setback.

According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com the right-hander underwent shoulder surgery in October and could very well now miss all of the 2026 season.

Royals have lost another starter before the 2026 season has even started

Kansas City's official injury report states that Marsh "underwent a right labral repair" and that his recovery could take a year.

Now, Kansas City isn't exactly in dire need for pitching at the moment, with more starting options than rotation spots as it stands.

However, just because they may look to make trade from their major league starting surplus, their need for depth arms is an entirely different matter.

In fact, it's arguably one of their more pressing needs to address this offseason as it was one of their biggest issues in 2025, as they turned to unconventional options to fill their depth needs, specifically veterans that were well past their prime.

Marsh would have offered them a younger arm with experience in both the rotation and the bullpen that also so happened to be serviceable in his most recent big league stint.

In 26 outings in 2024 (25 of which were starts), Marsh tossed to a 4.53 ERA, 4.34 FIP and .247 BAA. He may not have been flashiest of pitchers, but he did manage to finish as an above average arm when it came to limiting the free pass - holding a 64th percentile walk-rate - and also sports a diverse six-pitch repertoire.

It remains to be seen how the Royals plan to address their need for pitching depth this offseason, but it's certainly not the start to the offseason J.J. Picollo and the front office would've hoped for.