The Royals have placed right-hander Kyle Wright on outright waivers, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’s missed each of the past two seasons following shoulder surgery performed in October 2023. Assuming he clears, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment and become a free agent based on his service time (4.151 years).
Wright, 30, came over from the Braves two years ago in exchange for a fellow change-of-scenery first-rounder, Jackson Kowar. He was just a month removed from surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder at the time. Kansas City knew he wouldn’t pitch in 2024 but hoped that he could bounce back for the 2025 season. That didn’t happen. Wright’s recovery lingered into 2025, and he was pulled off a minor league rehab stint in May due to fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder. He also eventually sustained an oblique injury, which further set him back.
Though he spent two years as a member of the Royals organization, Wright never pitched in the majors with Kansas City. He was projected for the same $1.8MM salary he earned in 2025, but the Royals weren’t comfortable making any form of commitment after two lost seasons. Perhaps another club will roll the dice — Atlanta has brought back several old friends as depth options over the past year — but if not he’ll become a free agent and sign a minor league deal somewhere.
Prior to his injury, Wright looked to have broken out. The former No. 5 overall draft pick took a good while to do so, but in 2022 he tossed 180 1/3 innings with a 3.19 ERA, a 23.6% strikeout rate and a 7.2% walk rate for Atlanta. Whether he can ever get back to that form is an open question. Wright hasn’t pitched in the majors in more than two years, and his once-95.1 mph average fastball was sitting at a flat 92.0 mph during his limited Triple-A work in 2025. There’s little harm in a team taking a flier on a minor league deal if and when he clears waivers, but he’s a pure depth option right now.