Kansas City Royals could make Matt Harvey decision soon

Matt Harvey has been impressing the Kansas City Royals since he signed. He has one final test before he may return to the majors.

The Kansas City Royals took a chance on Matt Harvey approximately two weeks ago. He was languishing in free agency, reportedly mulling an offer from the Korean Baseball Organization as he attempted to resurrect a career that had careened off a cliff over the past few years. The Royals may have been his final chance at making a return to the majors.

Thus far, Harvey has seized the opportunity. He has impressed the Royals’ front office since his signing, looking sharp at their alternate training site. He is now set to pitch an intrasquad game on Thursday, and if he performs well, could be in the majors shortly.

It would be quite an impressive return. Harvey had once looked like a future star, an All Star in 2013 who had an impressive comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2015. He was a key part of why the Mets went to the World Series that season, and had an impressive performance in Game Five before everything went awry.

That would prove to be the high point of Harvey’s career. He was out of shape when he arrived at spring training the following year, and never found that success from 2015. Injuries and questions about Harvey’s attitude dogged the rest of his time in New York before he was unceremoniously sent to the Reds.

While Harvey seemed to have found himself again in Cincinnati, he was a disaster last year. Signed to a one year contract by the Angels, he lasted for 12 starts before they pulled the plug. In his 59.2 innings, he posted a 7.09 ERA and a 1.542 WHiP, striking out 39 batters with 29 walks. He had reached the nadir of his career.

But that may have been the wakeup call Harvey needed. He rededicated himself to his conditioning and began to listen to coaching. This change in mindset appears to have paid off, at least at the Royals alternate training site. But he still has more tests to pass.

The first of those comes on Thursday. If Matt Harvey performs well in the Kansas City Royals’ intrasquad game, he may be back in the majors as soon as next week.