Kansas City Royals may have the perfect role for Ian Kennedy

Banishing Ian Kennedy to the bullpen may turn out to be the perfect move for the Kansas City Royals.

After a solid beginning to his tenure with the Kansas City Royals, Ian Kennedy had been a disaster. Expected to be a solid middle of the rotation arm, he flamed out in spectacular fashion over the past two seasons, leaving his spot in the rotation a question mark heading into Spring Training. It did not take long for Kennedy to lose that spot, demoted to the bullpen in the hope that the Royals would get something out of the remaining $33 million on his contract.

Originally, it was expected that Kennedy would serve as the long man out of the bullpen. His lot would be to enter the game if one of the young pitchers struggled, hopefully keeping the game close enough for the Royals to attempt to mount a comeback. Then, manager Ned Yost said that he was planning to use Kennedy in high leverage situations. That appeared to be a recipe for disaster.

As it turns out, maybe Yost was right. It may just be two games into the season, but Kennedy appears to have found his role. After entering the game in the eighth inning on Thursday, Kennedy came in to close the game on Saturday. Although he allowed two baserunners, he was able to slam the door shut, notching his first career save.

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Thus far, the experiment has been a success. In his two innings, Kennedy has allowed two hits while recording a strikeout. It has not always been pretty, but Kennedy has used the Royals renewed focus on defense to his benefit, with those fly balls finding a glove in the outfield instead of landing in the grass.

In a bullpen without any defined roles, Kennedy has the chance to carve out a piece of the closer role. Brad Boxberger had earned the Royals first save of the season, but was brought in for the seventh on Saturday. His outing was a disaster, as Boxberger allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in his inning of work.

If Kennedy is able to continue to pitch well, he may emerge as the surprise closer for the Royals. The Royals have experience converting starters into closers, with Wily Peralta, Mike Minor, and Wade Davis taking on the role, so it would not be much of a stretch for Kennedy to close. The Royals may actually be able to salvage something out of his contract after all.

The Kansas City Royals may have found the perfect role for Ian Kennedy. Even if he does not end up closing, he could be a key piece as they look to rebuild their bullpen.