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KC Royals: Kris Medlen Likely To Return Soon

By Alec Tilson

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The long-awaited, much-debated return of KC Royals pitcher Kris Medlen from his second Tommy John surgery will likely come to a head in the coming few days.

Medlen’s 30-day rehab assignment ends Saturday, and the Royals need to activate him by Monday, according to The Kansas City Star‘s Andy McCullough.

Medlen threw a gem in his most recent start at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday night. He pitched seven innings, allowing three hits, two walks and no runs in his 94-pitch outing, easily the strongest of his six rehab starts. Medlen struck out four batters and threw 61-of-94 pitches for strikes.

It’s mid-season, we’re 18 games above .500 and Medlen is on schedule.  Let’s run him out there and see what happens.

When the Royals signed him to a two-year, $8.5 million guaranteed contract in December, the consensus among Kansas City Royals fans was, well, what do we have to lose? If he comes back and can help us in the second half, great. If we go to the break with a lead, and he can come back and make us an even stronger contender, even better. Worst case, he can’t come back this season and we’re out a couple million dollars. Big deal.

Well, on the surface, the Medlen signing is going exactly as planned. It’s mid-season, we’re 18 games above .500 and Medlen is on schedule. Let’s run him out there and see what happens.

I touched on what the KC Royals can expect from Medlen awhile back: He’s a 5-foot 10-inch version of James Shields.

As for how he fits into the Royals pitching staff, that’s still unclear. General Manager Dayton Moore said the decision to slot Medlen in the rotation or to assign him to the bullpen has not been made.


Medlen’s done both duties before, so it’s not hard to envision him in either role. He was awesome as a starter in 61 career starts for the Atlanta Braves, and pitched as a reliever in the other 91 Major League games he’s played in. The Royals pitching staff has been a game of musical chairs all season and Medlen will be looking for a seat – any seat – to claim on the 25-man roster.

Medlen says he’s fine with either job, according to Springfield News-Leader’s Brett Johnston:

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"“I’m not thinking about what I’m going to do,” Medlen said. “I’ve always been pretty business-like in this process. I’ve just been working my tail off and not expecting anything. I’m very fortunate to have (Kansas City General Manager Dayton Moore) and the Royals give me an opportunity and am trying to make the best of it.”"

His minor league assignment suggests that the Royals are openly considering him for a spot in the rotation. He started six games and increased his pitch count in each consecutive start, from 60 pitches in his first outing to 89 and 94 pitches in his final two starts, respectively. In all, he posted a 1-1 record and a 3.56 ERA in 30.1 innings in his rehab. He struck out 20 and walked just five.

The good thing for the Royals is that it doesn’t much matter where we put him. Adding a veteran pitcher with experience as a starter and a reliever only gives the Kansas City Royals more flexibility in the second half. I talk about Medlen like he’s old – he just turned 29.

Then again… Two Tommy John surgeries can take a toll.

Are you ready to see Kris Medlen pitch for the Royals, and what role do you think he’ll fill?

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