A bullpen arm that helped Kansas City reach the 2024 playoffs is now pitching for a team still chasing October.
The Royals turned over another bullpen spot this week.
New York claimed right-hander John Schreiber off waivers on Monday, ending his three seasons in Kansas City and sending him to a Yankees team looking to add bullpen depth for a postseason run.
The move came a few days after the Royals put him on waivers, a step teams often take late in a lost season to see if anyone else wants to take on the rest of a player's salary.
Someone did.
New York will pick up roughly $600,000 of what is left on his deal, per Joel Sherman and since he switched teams before September, he can still be added to a postseason roster if the Yankees get there.
What Schreiber Brought To Kansas City
Schreiber had been a steady piece of the Kansas City bullpen since he arrived, working with a low arm slot and a five-pitch mix that leans on ground balls instead of pure velocity.
He finishes this season with a 3.65 ERA over 55 appearances and 49 and a third innings pitched, numbers that would help most contending bullpens.
He was part of the group that helped Kansas City reach the playoffs in 2024, and losing him is one more sign that this year has turned into a rebuilding season for the club.
Letting a useful reliever walk for nothing more than salary relief only makes sense when a team is out of the race, and the Royals have been out of it for a while now.
A Roster Still Moving Pieces Around
Schreiber's exit is just the latest change to a pitching staff that has been shuffled all month.
Kansas City recently called up infielder Josh Rojas from Triple-A Omaha, and second baseman Michael Massey is still out with a concussion.
On the mound, Tony Gonsolin continues working his way back from elbow surgery in the minors, and the Royals also gave a bullpen look to Anthony Gose, whose own comeback story earned him his first win in a Royals uniform last weekend.
None of that changes with Schreiber gone, but it shows a front office that is willing to open up innings for younger arms instead of holding onto a veteran with an expiring contract.
Kansas City sits at 62-76 and is 10.5 games behind first place in the American League Central, a stretch that included last weekend's rough finish in Cleveland.
When a game does not mean much for the standings, it can still mean plenty for the bullpen arms trying to show they belong next season.
The Royals open a three game series against the Miami Marlins at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, followed by three more against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend.
Neither series carries any real playoff stakes at this point, but they still matter for the players auditioning for next year's roster, especially with a handful of spots now open in a bullpen that keeps changing shape by the week.
