Kansas City Royals: Matt Harvey getting one more chance at majors

On Wednesday night, Matt Harvey will return to the majors once again, as he will start the second game of the Kansas City Royals doubleheader.

Matt Harvey appeared to be on his way out of the majors. He did not have any suitors during the offseason, getting a brief look in a tryout for the Blue Jays before they decided to head in a different direction. For a time, it seemed that Harvey would head to the Korean Baseball Organization, but that did not pan out. Eventually, he inked a contract with the Kansas City Royals, hoping to resurrect his career.

That chance is coming on Wednesday. Harvey is set to start the second game of their doubleheader against the Reds in what may be his final chance to show he can still be a major league caliber arm.

According to reports, Harvey has done nothing but impress the Royals. He had rededicated himself to his training in the offseason, and looked to change his attitude and mindset. That chang head manifested at the Royals’ alternate training site, where Harvey looked like a viable major league option again.

But the results during the actual games will matter. While it is encouraging that he has impressed at the alternate site, that is not nearly the same. The games are not at the same level. The players are not as good as what he will face in the majors.

It now comes down to Harvey looking to prove that he belongs in the majors again. However, since his return from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, that has been questionable at best. Since the start of 2017, Harvey had posted a 5.89 ERA and a 1.467 WHiP in his 307.1 innings, striking out 237 batters and issuing 113 walks.

But hope springs eternal. The Royals need to find depth for their rotation, a part of why Harvey was signed in the first place. He will now have approximately seven weeks to prove that he belongs back in the majors, an opportunity that the Royals can afford him.

The comeback is officially on. Now Matt Harvey has to prove to the Kansas City Royals, and the baseball world at large, that he still belongs in the majors.