The Kansas City Royals have released Jordan Lyles, a seasoned starting pitcher. Lyles, 33, played two seasons with the Royals. He has a 6.11 ERA in 36 outings since joining the team in 2023. Lyles made five relief appearances this season after being moved to the bullpen. On April 20, however, he was added to the restricted list.
Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have endorsed the decision. Players on the restricted list do not always receive compensation. “It’s one of those things where this is still sort of like an ongoing thing,” Royals associate general manager Scott Sharp said. “So, out of respect for Jordan and the personal nature of the situation, we don’t want to say too much. We wish him luck in the future.”
Lyles reported back to the Royals in June. He spent time in Surprise, Arizona, working out and pursuing a return to the majors. The Royals devised a scheme that would allow Lyles to pitch in simulated games at their spring training facility. On Saturday, the Royals needed to make a decision. According to MLB rules, a player has 30 days to resume baseball activity after returning from the restricted list. A team must determine whether to add a player to both the 40-man and active 26-man rosters.
Lyles, who had served for more than five years, was released. He cannot be optioned without his permission. Furthermore, a player on the restricted list is not subject to a rehab assignment after returning to the club. “We were in a position where we had to make a decision,” Sharp told me. “And the best decision for the organization was to release Jordan Lyles.” Lyles became a free agent after passing the release waivers on Sunday.
The Royals leaned on Lyles throughout their 106-loss season last year. He made 31 starts and played three full games. He had a 6.28 ERA in 177 12/3 innings for the Royals in 2023. “It’s not how we wanted it to go,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro explained. “We know he’s been gone for personal reasons.” And there’s really much else we can say about it except that we hope everything goes well for him.We signed him to a two-year contract with the expectation that he will stay with us the whole. But that didn’t work out.”
