Royals Rumors: Luke Hochevar Could Return to Kansas City

Royals rumors are still swirling and one of the latest gems involves the Kansas City Royals potentially bringing back a familiar face in Luke Hochevar.

Things didn’t go Kansas City’s way last season and that was evidenced by all of the injuries that occurred to some of their best players. One of the biggest losses for the team was to reliever Luke Hochevar, who had to get Tommy John surgery midway through the year.

Considering the KC Royals have recently been the type of team to rely on their bullpen, losing Hochevar was a devastating blow. He had been the “firefighter” role in the bullpen in both 2015 and the early part of 2016, coming in to put out fires when necessary.

Hochevar is a free agent at the moment, but Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reported that the Kansas City Royals could be interesting in re-signing Hochevar, depending on the status of his arm.

"The Royals have some interest in bringing back Luke Hochevar, but are unsure when he’ll be able to return from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August."

This is good news for Royals fans.

With Wade Davis now donning Cubs gear and Greg Holland likely not returning to the team, the Royals need to add a reliable, familiar face to their pen. Hochevar is just that.

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In his shortened 2016 season, Luke Hochevar threw 37.1 innings and had a 3.86 ERA when it was all said and done. He began to struggle near the end of his season, but that was due to the arm issues.

The biggest question with Hoch is if he’ll be able to be that effective reliever that he was in 2013 and 2015. He’s now had two surgeries on his arm, and that obviously does effect the ability to throw some of the same pitches that once made a guy dominating.

I trust Dayton Moore to make the right decision on Luke Hochevar. If he looks good enough to pitch, then sign him to a one-year deal and see what he can give you. If he still looks shaky, then move on from him.

It’s nice to hear some of the Royals rumors floating around out there, as it shows that Moore is still wanting his team to be a contender in 2017. Many are hoping to get the main core one more World Series title before they’ll all likely go their separate ways, and Hochevar is apart of that core.

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The most memorable Luke Hochevar moment is one of the most memorable in all of KC Royals history… He was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series in 2015.

Only time will tell if Hoch sticks around in Kansas City or not, but if he’s good to go, don’t be surprised to see Dayton Moore sign him to a deal. He’s Forever Royal, after all.

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