The Royals have announced their opening day pitching roster with Daniel Lynch Iv taking the final spot as we head into the start of the regular season. Several key names were not listed in the opening day group for a variety of reasons. Several key members of the Royals pitching staff will miss time with injuries and others will take some time to develop in the minor leagues. Today I took a look at some players who did not make the opening day roster, but will have an impact at some point in 2025.
Alec Marsh
Last offseason, Marsh battled his way onto the opening day roster, beating out Daniel Lynch IV and Jordan Lyles for the fifth starter spot. This season, Marsh will not appear on opening day and will likely start the season on the IL due to some shoulder tightness.
Marsh has battled injuries throughout his career and the Royals will take their time bringing him back to be careful and make sure he is 100%. When Marsh is healthy he will likely be placed in the bullpen if someone struggles or gets injured early. It is also possible he could fill a starting role if an unfortunate early injury struck one of the Royals starters.
Regardless, once Marsh gets healthy, he will likely return to Kansas City quickly. I have high expectations for Marsh after his first full pro season, and he could be one of the better pitchers on the Royals roster with some small fixes. Expect to see him in Royal blue very soon this season.
Kyle Wright
So far this offseason, I have heard good things about Kyle Wright and his recovery. Similar to Alec Marsh, Wright has struggled with injuries throughout his short MLB career, but looked great in his first full season in the MLB.
In 2022, Wright proved to be a valuable starter for the Braves when he threw over 180 innings and posted a 3.19 ERA. Wright had shoulder surgery in October of 2023 and the Royals added him in a trade for former top prospect Jackson Kowar just before the start of the 2024 season.
Wright missed all of 2024 recovering from the surgery and just started facing live batters at the end of spring training. Wright will likely start on IL and the Royals will take their time bringing him back. Shoulders are touch and go and are easy to re-injure if mismanaged.
The Royals will not rush him back and will ease him back into baseball with a couple of rehab appearances. But I have heard positive things about his rehab and it sounds like the Royals like what he has to offer. We will continue to monitor his recovery, but if all goes according to plan, he could make a significant impact in 2025.
Evan Sisk
The Royals added Sisk to the 40 man roster to protect him from minor league free agency. Sisk was optioned to Omaha to start the 2025 season, but they added him to the roster for a reason and they won’t just leave him in Omaha all year.
Sisk is a solid lefty who throws from unique arm angle that allows him to be deceptive and move the ball around the zone. He is mostly a sinker slider pitcher who also mixes in a cutter and a four-seem at times. Sisk consistently attacks the zone and will make hitters swing the bat if they want to get on base.
The Royals will carry three lefties in the pen this season, with Angel Zerpa, Daniel Lynch and Sam Long, and Sisk will provide depth. If there is an injury to any of the lefties, Sisk is incredibly effective facing other lefties and could get a call up if he continues to find success in Omaha.
Steven Cruz
In an interview that Preston Farr and I did on the Fountain Cast with Jack Johnson he mentioned that one of the most impressive players in surprise was Steven Cruz.
The six foot seven righty, throws hard and and uses his great extension and velocity to attack hitters early in the count. Cruz has a hard fastball that sits a bit above 97 but gets great extension and can make it feel like 100 when you’re in the box. He mixes in a cutter and a sinker as other fastball offering as well as a hard slider that sits around 90 MPH.
Cruz has had some issues with walks in his career and his command can get thrown off at times. But when Cruz is comfortable on the mound, he has everything it takes to be an effective MLB pitcher. If he is effective in Omaha this season, he has strikeout potential and could be an option for the Royals later in the season.
Noah Cameron
Prior to the start of the season, there was a legitimate discussion about Noah Cameron potentially cracking the Royals rotation. But with Bubic returning to the rotation and the team resigning Michael Lorenzen, there was no room for Cameron to start the season.
Cameron was just shy of 150 strikeouts over 128.2 innings last season and proved himself as one of the best pitchers in the Royals organization.
Cameron does not blow you away with velocity, but has a solid low 90s fastball and a cutter that he added last year to help against righties. He also mixes in an elite changeup and a solid curveball that help him get whiffs and big outs when he needs them.
Cameron is a starter and will likely be the depth option for the Royals in case of injury. If Alec Marsh moves to the bullpen, Cameron becomes the sixth pitcher for the Royals and there is a real chance that he will see MLB play this season.
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