Why the Royals haven't cut ties with Mitch Spence despite his disastrous 2026

The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Mitch Spence pairing has been less than optimal in 2026. The former Athletics pitcher has been thrust back into a multi-inning role thanks to the litany of Royals rotation injuries. Spence was below-average as a swingman pitcher for the Athletics, but the Royals traded for him this offseason and specifically tabbed him as starter depth. Well, Spence's run with the Royals has shown depth, the depths to which this season will go for this organization.

Spence's latest outing was a 10-run massacre in only 1.1 innings of work. He has allowed six or more earned runs in all three of his appearances for Kansas City this season, but at least the prior two came with 4.0 innings pitched. It was already a precarious situation for Kansas City against the Chicago White Sox, one that saw the bullpen implode and allow 22 runs, tying the franchise record set back in 1994. When speedster Tyler Tolbert is pitching in the ninth inning on two consecutive nights, fans know the season has gone horribly wrong.

Once the Royals sent Spence back to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, recalling righty Eric Cerantola in the process, the social media response featured a smattering of fans asking the same question: why is Spence still in the organization?

Mitch Spence is a side effect, not cause, of Royals' disastrous season.

It is a valid question. Why does the organization roster a pitcher carrying a 21.21 ERA, who cannot keep the opposition shut down for more than a few outs and has similar struggles at the Triple-A level this year? A results-driven organization would send the message that this performance is not okay, not the norm, and move on altogether. But for the Royals, the losing is already set in stone. The team that fans hoped would be competing for the division is cemented in last place and was the AL's first to 50 losses. What a reality check.

No matter a team's record, no matter the outlook, and no matter the payroll, a team has to find 27 outs from their pitching and nine guys to fill out the batting order. That is the reality, and Kansas City cannot just make Michael Wacha or Noah Cameron pitch every remaining game. They have to adhere to some semblance of a five-man rotation. That reality is what pushed Spence into his current role in the first place and will likely keep him here until the Royals find someone else who can do what he does but better.

They may be ugly innings, but historically, Spence can eat innings. He did not do that in his most recent outing against the White Sox, but he has for most of this season and previous ones as well. Remember Jordan Lyles? Painful memories, surely, but the losing Royals of earlier this decade kept trotting him out there because he got the team through the game and recorded multiple outs. Plenty of runs between them, but still multiple outs.

And if fans will cry for anyone but Spence, who should it be? Any option is just another pickup from an organization, a player that they deemed worthy of designating for assignment with their own spotty résumé and unwanted blemishes. Randy Dobnak will likely get his chance with the Royals, sure. But with so many pitchers facing injury, would the Royals really trip over themselves to replace one short-term option with another short-term option? Just shuffling the deck chairs on the sinking ship that is this season.

The reality is that Kansas City does not have much invested in Spence, and him wearing the brunt of his meltdowns does not jeopardize a future contributor for the Royals. This is not Kansas City rushing a prospect up just to fill a void or moving notable assets to round out the rotation. This is Spence going out there, doing what he can, and keeping it moving.

There is a case that Spence would have been better as a 1-2 inning pitcher, maximum, after the Royals traded for him. That has not happened and likely will not happen. The season is already lost for the Royals, whether they admit it to the beat writers, to themselves, or to anything other than the standings. Spence is a sacrificial goat: not unblemished, forgettable, and doing a job that gets the team through the short term.

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