Hunter Harvey, James McArthur, Chris Stratton Expected To Be Ready Next Year
Kansas City Royals relief pitchers Hunter Harvey (back), James McArthur (elbow) and Chris Stratton (forearm) are all expected to be healthy entering spring training next February after ending 2024 on the injured list. Stratton holds a $4.5 million player option for next season. Harvey began the year with the Nationals and had a rough 6.35 ERA and 2.12 WHIP with one save in only 5 2/3 innings for the Royals before being shut down in late September. McArthur began the year as KC's primary closer but eventually lost the job and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL sprain in his right elbow in mid-September. He had a career-high 18 saves but also an ERA just under 5.00. Stratton, who has a right flexor strain, also underwhelmed in 2024 with a 5.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and four saves in 58 1/3 innings in his first year with the Royals.
Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (back) has been progressing with his throwing program after a few days of no activity and threw a bullpen session on Sunday. The Royals had to see how he felt on Monday to determine his next steps. Harvey has been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 7 after he felt something pull in his back during his normal pre-game routine earlier that week. He also suffered a setback in his rehab program on Aug. 20 when he received a cortisone injection because his back wasn't loosening up as much as he or the team would have liked. The 29-year-old could require another bullpen session but appears close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Once he's ready to return to the major-league bullpen, Harvey is expected to serve in a late-inning, high-leverage setup role for KC.
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Hunter Harvey's back "wasn't loosening up" as much as he or the team would have liked by Monday and Tuesday, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Harvey received a cortisone injection on Tuesday, which will shut him down from all activity until Thursday or Friday, but Quatraro said the hurler could be throwing again by the end of the week. Harvey was thought to be making good progress over the last week since he went on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 7, but this pushes his timeline back at least until the Royals can see how he responds to the injection and determine his next steps. The 29-year-old right-hander seemed to be pushing for closing duties in KC's bullpen before getting sidelined, so fantasy managers should pay attention to this late-inning hierarchy going forward.
Hunter Harvey To 15-Day Injured List With Back Tightness
Recently acquired relief pitcher Hunter Harvey (back) has been placed on the 15-day injured list by the Kansas City Royals with back tightness. In a corresponding move, the team recalled veteran reliever Carlos Hernandez. Harvey has two wins and one save with 55 strikeouts in 50 innings, a 4.44 ERA, and a 1.32 WHIP on the season. The team had been using a committee approach to closing, but look for James McArthur and Lucas Erceg to be the primary relievers to get save chances at this time for the Royals, who are 64-53 and fighting for their playoff lives.
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Hunter Harvey (back) has been dealing with back tightness, manager Matt Quatraro said after Friday night's loss against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Harvey last appeared for the Royals when he picked up a save in Sunday's win over the division-rival Detroit Tigers, so this explains why he hasn't been seen on the mound since then. It's worth noting that Harvey exited his appearance on July 28 against the Chicago Cubs due to an apparent back injury, so it's fair to wonder if a similar issue has cropped up again. Consider him day-to-day ahead of Saturday's tilt against St. Louis. While the 29-year-old right-hander has given up four runs in 5 2/3 innings since joining KC ahead of the trade deadline, he was seemingly pushing closer James McArthur for ninth-inning work out of the bullpen. With that said, McArthur is worth rostering in all fantasy leagues until Harvey is out of the woods health-wise.
Hunter Harvey Finishes Off Tigers, Stakes Claim To Closer Role
Kansas City Royals reliever Hunter Harvey tossed a shutout frame to pick up his first save of the season on Sunday in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Harvey allowed just a hit while striking out one. It appears as though the Royals are ready to turn to Harvey in the ninth, as he has been used in back-to-back games as the closer and James McArthur has been a disaster for some time now. In any leagues where saves count fantasy managers should be looking to pick up Harvey, as he appears to be the next man up in Kansas City's bullpen.
Washington Nationals right-hander Hunter Harvey has been traded to Kansas City Royals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace (oblique). Harvey racked up 26 holds while posting a 4.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 50:12 K: BB across 45 innings for the Nationals in 2024. The 29-year-old has struggled since the calendar flipped in June, owning an 8.04 ERA over his last 15 2/3 frames. Harvey will be used in high-leverage situations for the Royals and could see some chances with his new team, but he remains mainly an option in leagues that reward for holds. Wallace has been recovering from an oblique strain since May. Before the injury, the 22-year-old slashed .282/.350/.427 with three homers across 140 plate appearances with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Wallace was the 49th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and could join the big league roster sometime in 2025.
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (hand) said his left hand is feeling much better and that he might be fine to pitch on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. Harvey said he lost all feeling in his and for 40 minutes last night after getting hit by a comebacker off the bat of outfielder Mike Yastrzemski in the eighth inning. Once the feeling in his hand came back and X-rays were negative, Harvey knew he'd be fine. The 29-year-old late-inning reliever was still able to record the hold against San Fran in the team's victory on Tuesday night and he's now up to four holds on the year. It looks like he's in the clear, even if he doesn't appear in the contest on Wednesday. Despite being the eighth-inning setup man for now, Harvey is valuable in holds leagues and as a handcuff to closer Kyle Finnegan.
Hunter Harvey Pulled After Taking Comebacker Off His Forearm
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey (forearm) was pulled from his outing in the eighth inning on Tuesday night when he was struck in the left forearm/wrist area by a comebacker off the bat of San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. Despite only getting two outs in the inning while allowing a hit and striking out one, Harvey was able to pick up his fourth hold of the season before Kyle Finnegan came in for 1 1/3 frames to lock down his fourth save of the 2024 campaign. The 29-year-old was in obvious pain and will probably undergo an X-ray on his arm, but the good news is that the injury was to his non-throwing arm. For holds alone, Harvey is worth rostering in fantasy baseball leagues, but if Finnegan falters at all this year, he'll be the first in line for save chances in D.C. If he's forced to miss time after Tuesday's injury, Tanner Rainey would become the team's primary setup man.
Washington Nationals reliever Hunter Harvey pitched one inning of relief on Friday in a 7-3 Grapefruit League win over the Mets. Harvey has had a nice spring, allowing six hits and two earned runs with a 10:1 K:BB over six and one-third innings pitched (2.84 ERA). The 29-year-old is coming off the best season of his career and looks primed to have a repeat performance in 2024. Staying healthy has always been an issue for him, but even missing time last season he was still able to collect 10 saves and 19 holds. If the Nats' primary closer Kyle Finnegan falters, Harvey would be in a prime spot to take over the duties full-time.
Chris Stratton
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Royals
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