Back from injury, Royals reliever is ‘ready to rock.’ He has big hopes for KC bullpen
In an effort to boost their 2024 postseason push, the Kansas City Royals swung a trade with the Washington Nationals at the deadline.
The Royals acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey in exchange for former No. 2 prospect Cayden Wallace and a 2024 draft pick. It was a move that drew applause from several players within the clubhouse.
“We’ll welcome Hunter in with open arms,” pitcher Kris Bubic said at the time of the trade. “We know he’s a guy down there who can contribute, especially in the later innings.”
The Royals only got a taste of Harvey. A lingering back injury limited him to just six relief appearances.
Harvey underwent tests and met with specialists to determine the severity of the injury. It was deemed he had mid-back tightness and never felt comfortable.
“Last year was tough,” Harvey said. “It didn’t feel good to rotate, which is kind of the main thing we need to be able to do. We just couldn’t get it to ever calm down. I think we tried and we wanted to go a little faster, obviously, to try to be able to pitch. And we never just let it calm down enough.”
Harvey was sidelined as the Royals faced the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees in the postseason. He was slated to pitch in high-leverage situations alongside closer Lucas Erceg.
Missing the postseason didn’t sit too well. In October, Harvey focused heavily on resting to regain his strength. The additional rest weeks allowed him a somewhat normal start to his offseason pitching activities, even if it was delayed.
“I didn’t start until the middle of December,” Harvey said. “I normally start in November, but we started working out. We just waited a little bit to make sure everything was good.”
Now, Harvey is back healthy and ready to earn his roster spot. He hasn’t experienced pain or a setback since arriving in Royals camp.
On Sunday, Harvey threw a bullpen session at the club’s spring training complex. He is expected to be a part of a revamped unit that includes new relief acquisition Carlos Estévez.
I’m very excited,” Harvey said. “Especially, it’s a good group of guys and we showed that last year. We have a good team and I am looking forward to the year.”
So what can the Royals expect from Harvey?
Harvey features a four-seam fastball that averaged 97.8 mph last season. The heater is his signature pitch as he threw it 62.9% of the time, per Baseball Savant.
Additionally, Harvey has a splitter, curveball and slider in his pitching arsenal. Opponents registered a 37.7% whiff rate against the splitter in 2024. The Royals hope Harvey can regain his form with his high-powered velocity.
“We went out to lunch in the mountains of North Carolina,” pitching coach Brian Sweeney said of his offseason visit with Harvey. “You know, it’s where he loves to be and we enjoyed that time we got to spend together. He is ready to rock.”
Harvey will get a chance to pitch in upcoming spring training games. The Royals open Cactus League play on Friday, Feb. 21, against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.
“I think if everyone gets rolling at the same time,” Harvey said, “we have a chance to be one of the best bullpens.”
