Over four months have passed since Hunter Harvey last took the mound for the Kansas City Royals, but that final outing of 2025 still lingers in the minds of those who watched it. Called in by manager Matt Quatraro to protect a slim 1-0 lead in the seventh inning against the Twins, Harvey gave up a pair of singles-but no runs. The Royals held on for a 2-0 win, and Harvey walked off the mound having done exactly what was asked of him.
That performance was just a snapshot of a quietly dominant run. Harvey didn’t allow a single earned run all season.
His 0.00 ERA is eye-catching on its own, but the underlying numbers tell an even richer story: 9.28 strikeouts per nine innings, just 0.84 walks per nine. He was efficient, in control, and flat-out effective whenever he was healthy enough to pitch.
And that’s the key qualifier-whenever he was healthy enough to pitch.
Harvey’s 2025 campaign was brilliant, but brief. Just 12 appearances.
That kind of limited workload naturally raises some eyebrows, especially considering his injury history. After being acquired from the Nationals at the 2024 trade deadline, Harvey’s debut with Kansas City was cut short by back issues.
He pitched only 5.2 innings before being shelved for the rest of the season. Then came 2025, and with it, more setbacks-teres major and adductor strains that kept him sidelined for most of the year.
So now, with Harvey a free agent and his Royals tenure totaling fewer than 20 innings across two seasons, the question is obvious: Should Kansas City bring him back?
The answer should be yes.
Despite the injuries, there’s a compelling case to be made for a reunion. Harvey’s track record before landing in Kansas City was strong.
Across 95 games and 100 innings with Washington in 2023 and 2024, he posted a 2.70 ERA and a 1.020 WHIP. He struck out nearly 27% of the batters he faced and kept his walk rate under 7%.
That’s the kind of production any bullpen in baseball would love to have-especially from a right-hander who can miss bats and limit base runners.
Yes, the injury concerns are real. And yes, his time with the Royals so far has been more promise than payoff.
But when he’s healthy, Harvey has proven he can be a high-leverage arm. He’s not just a depth piece-he’s the kind of pitcher who can tilt a close game in your favor.
And the Royals, for all their ups and downs, built a solid bullpen in 2025. With recent additions like Matt Strahm returning to the fold and Nick Mears showing promise, the unit is trending upward.
Adding a healthy Harvey to that mix doesn’t just raise the floor-it raises the ceiling. Suddenly, you’ve got multiple reliable options to bridge the gap to the ninth inning, or even close out games when matchups dictate.
Is it a risk? Sure. But it’s the kind of calculated risk that good front offices take-especially when the upside is a bullpen that can shorten games and protect leads more consistently.
Harvey may not have logged many innings in a Royals uniform yet, but the ones he has thrown have been lights out. If Kansas City believes he can stay on the field in 2026, re-signing him could be one of the savvier moves they make this offseason.