SURPRISE, Ariz. ¨C Instead of making another start or piggybacking on Wednesday, six days after his last spring start, Daniel Lynch IV jogged out of the bullpen for the ninth inning of the Royals¡¯ 3-1 loss to the Giants at Surprise Stadium.
The appearance revealed which way the Royals are leaning in the battle for their fifth starter.
Lynch will get a few appearances out of the bullpen this week as the Cactus League schedule wraps up, with an inning Wednesday and two scheduled on Friday, while Kris Bubic remains in the rotation and is scheduled for his sixth spring game (fifth start) on Thursday.
And that seems to be the way the staff is shaping up with a week to go before Opening Day: Bubic in the rotation behind Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Michael Lorenzen. That means Lynch could open the season as a reliever in Kansas City or a starter in Triple-A Omaha. The bullpen appearances this week give insight into how the Royals are thinking.
¡°We have to be able to keep our options open for [Lynch] to go either way,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°No decisions have been finalized yet on the roster, but at this point, we need to see him [throw in relief], because we know he can start.
¡°... A big part of our success last year was because of what he was able to do versatility-wise. So we want to make sure that¡¯s still an option for him this spring.¡±
Lynch ended 2024 in the Royals¡¯ bullpen, and he tossed 20 2/3 scoreless innings with 24 strikeouts and six walks over 11 relief appearances after the All-Star break. As spring began this year, he was in the mix for a rotation spot. His 3.21 ERA across five games before Wednesday, with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 14 innings, only helped his cause, forcing the Royals to think about him in the bullpen if he wasn¡¯t going to crack the rotation.
Bubic has had a solid spring, most recently striking out five Guardians in 3 1/3 scoreless innings on Saturday. The Royals are intrigued by what Bubic could do as a starter following Tommy John surgery in 2023 and his emergence as a high-leverage reliever in last year¡¯s postseason run.
¡°They said they haven¡¯t made a decision, so I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m necessarily out of the competition, but it was fun competing for that role,¡± Lynch said.
¡°I felt like the last two years, I¡¯ve come in and hadn¡¯t been in the conversation. That¡¯s a tough spot to be in, feeling like you¡¯re a long shot. Both times, I¡¯ve been really proud of how I pitched in that situation. But I don¡¯t look at it like I lost a competition or anything. Maybe this is the role they feel is best for me right now and for the team.
¡°Whatever I end up doing, I¡¯m happy with it, as long as I¡¯m making a contribution to the big league team.¡±
The Royals still have to get through this next week injury-free. Lynch is built up to four or five innings, and he would be the first up on the depth chart if they needed a starter.
¡°It¡¯s such a short period of time that if I would be needed in the next however many days, I think I¡¯d be fine back as a starter,¡± Lynch said. ¡°I¡¯m not really worried about being built up; I¡¯m kind of just focused on this role now, as long as that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡±
But getting Lynch used to coming out of the bullpen as Spring Training closes will help prepare him for a potential role in Kansas City. He was in a reliever mode Wednesday night with a shorter warmup, something he has to get used to again. Lynch allowed two runs on three hits, all three of them grounders and only one hard-hit, with two strikeouts.
¡°It was definitely different,¡± Lynch said. ¡°I actually felt I executed well, just those ground balls. But I could also think about it like I was ahead of guys and didn¡¯t finish them.¡±
The Royals haven¡¯t finalized Lynch¡¯s role because they have yet to finalize their bullpen with limited spots available. Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey, Carlos Est¨¦vez, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber, Angel Zerpa and Sam Long are all likely to make the team, leaving one spot still open.
The way he has pitched, Lynch seems to have an edge. But the club must decide whether to put Carlos Hern¨¢ndez on the 26-man roster or risk losing him because he¡¯s out of options. The 28-year-old throws 99-100 mph, but he has allowed eight runs in 10 1/3 innings this spring while walking five and striking out eight.