Connor Thomas has gone from emergency castoff to useful bullpen piece in a hurry, and the Royals are reaping the benefits.
The left-hander’s season line still looks ugly at first glance: a 9.35 ERA, three holds and 17.1 innings. But that number is weighted down heavily by his rough run with Atlanta, and the version Kansas City has gotten since claiming him has looked far more stable.
Thomas, a Tifton, Georgia native, signed a minor league deal with the Braves in the offseason and earned a call-up after they selected his contract. His first outing came on July 7 against the Pirates, and it went sideways quickly: 3.1 innings, five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.
The next appearance was even worse. Twenty days later, he was tagged for ten hits, 11 runs, five walks and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
In two games, he posted a 21.32 ERA over 6.1 innings, and Atlanta designated him for assignment.
That started a short tour through waivers. The Athletics claimed him, didn’t use him, then DFA’d him again before the Royals brought him in.
Since landing in Kansas City, Thomas has looked like a different pitcher. Over 11 innings with the Royals, he owns a 2.45 ERA, has three holds and hasn’t allowed a home run.
It’s been his best stretch in the majors, and it came after a brutal opening act. He also spent time with the Brewers last season, where he struggled to a 20.25 ERA.
The change hasn’t come from overpowering stuff. Thomas throws in the low 90s, and the raw arsenal has never screamed bat-misser.
What has changed is how often he’s getting the ball into the zone and forcing more competitive contact. With Atlanta, his zone rate was 41.3%, which fed into a 15.0% walk rate and an 18.8% CSW%.
With the Royals, that zone rate has jumped to 49.7%, and his CSW% has climbed to 30.2%.
There’s also been a noticeable bump in how his pitches are grading. His overall stuff+ is 98 with Kansas City, up from 87 with the Braves.
The biggest gains have come on his four-seam fastball and sinker. Those pitches carried a stuff+ of 87 in Atlanta; with the Royals, they’ve risen to 102 and 110.
One part of that shift may be mechanical. Thomas changed his arm slot between stints, with his average arm angle at 31.6 degrees with the Braves and 29 degrees with the Royals, closer to his 2025 form.
Still, the biggest story is simpler than that: he’s throwing strikes. The better stuff numbers are a bonus.
For a Royals bullpen that has spent most of the season near the bottom of the league, Thomas has become a welcome find. He doesn’t profile as a shutdown late-inning arm, but he has shown he can get outs, including some in leverage. If he keeps this up, he gives Kansas City something it has badly needed: a useful second chance story.
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