Return in sight for Wright after lengthy rehab road

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- This time last year, Kyle Wright was headed out to the conditioning field at the Royals¡¯ Spring Training complex with other rehabbing players, separate from the rest of pitchers in camp. He had a football in his hand most days, something several pitchers, especially those rehabbing, use to help with mechanics as they return to throwing.

This year, Wright has a baseball in his hand, healthy after more than a year of rehab.

The 29-year-old Wright hasn¡¯t pitched in a Major League game since Sept. 28, 2023. That whole season was injury-ridden for the right-hander; Wright made just nine appearances for the Braves in ¡®23. Shortly after the season ended, he underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder.

Then the Royals acquired him that November, knowing he would miss all of 2024.

¡°You definitely take it for granted, just being healthy and able to show up every day and be available all the time,¡± Wright said. ¡°They say it all the time, the best ability you can have in this game is availability. To not have that has been a struggle for me. Being able to get back to that and hopefully just being a reliable asset to this team, whatever role I¡¯m asked to be in, is something I really look forward to.¡±

The Royals traded for Wright on Nov. 17, 2023 -- sending Jackson Kowar to the Braves -- understanding it would be over a year before Wright would be healthy and available. Now, that time is finally approaching.

As Wright gets back on the mound this Spring Training, his progression is slightly behind other Royals pitchers as they ramp up for the regular season. Some are already facing hitters in live BP, while Wright wants to throw at least two more bullpen sessions before he takes the mound against a hitter for the first time. He¡¯s scheduled to throw a bullpen on Friday, so he could begin throwing live BP by next week. If all goes well with that, Wright will continue to build up his innings.

Because it¡¯s been so long since he last was 100% healthy, there¡¯s still some hurdles Wright needs to clear, including seeing how he physically recovers after throwing intense bullpens.

But a lot of those hurdles are mental. Wright is happy with his pitch shapes -- which speaks to the health of his shoulder now -- but he¡¯s still learning to trust himself to throw hard and stay healthy.

¡°I¡¯ve been in the habit of protecting for so long,¡± Wright said. ¡°'Let¡¯s not let anything like this happen again.' Now that I am full-go, it¡¯s being able to feel comfortable in my mechanics and delivery and trusting that my shoulder is fine. It can take the load. The only way to get past that is to just do it. You got to let it rip and continue to trust that, ¡®Hey, I feel OK today.¡¯

¡°If I can see myself recovering really well after two intense bullpens, we¡¯ll continue to push forward.¡±

The journey is not quite over, but the finish line is close.

¡°You¡¯ve got to appreciate the work he¡¯s put in,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°Anybody who has gone through rehab understands that there¡¯s a physical toll, but the mental toll is worse than the physical toll. ¡­ We know how good he was prior, so that¡¯s what really drives him and us.¡±

The fifth overall pick in the 2017 Draft, Wright made his MLB debut with the Braves in ¡®18. He won the World Series with Atlanta in ¡®21 while compiling a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings of relief work that postseason. Then in ¡®22, Wright led the Majors in wins (21) while posting a 3.19 ERA in 180 1/3 innings over 30 starts.

Whether Wright gets back to that form remains to be seen, but he should be able to help the Royals this season. He still believes in himself as a starter, but he¡¯s willing to move to the bullpen or do anything the Royals need to help them win.

Wright saw how valuable it was to have pitchers available in different roles last year -- he mentioned Daniel Lynch IV and Kris Bubic going to the bullpen -- and he is willing to adopt that mentality.

¡°I understand that I haven¡¯t pitched in a year,¡± Wright said. ¡°We have a lot of good players. There could be different roles or things I could do to help the team. ¡­ If you want to win, you¡¯ve got to have guys that can do that. Being adaptable, being able to step up when you¡¯re called upon is huge.¡±