Kansas City Royals still trying to find a place for Matt Harvey

After four horrendous starts, the Kansas City Royals are still trying to find a path to success for Matt Harvey.

By all accounts, the Matt Harvey experiment should be over. The Kansas City Royals gave him another chance to show that he could be a productive major league arm, and that time is over. His struggles over the past few years have continued, leaving Harvey’s once promising career on the rocks.

However, the Royals are not giving up just yet. He is now heading to the bullpen in an attempt to resurrect his career.

It is a move that had to be made. Harvey had not lasted more than three innings in any of his starts, reaching that mark just once. In his ten innings heading into Thursday, he had allowed 13 runs on 22 hits, including five homers, while issuing five walks and striking out eight. The magic just is not there.

Moving Harvey to the bullpen is not likely to change anything. He had made six total relief appearances in his career with miserable results. In his 10.2 innings, he had allowed ten runs on 13 hits and seven walks. Harvey has almost allowed as many home runs (4) and he has recorded strikeouts (5) as a reliever.

But there is always a chance. Some of the more dominant relievers in baseball were failed starters, pitchers that headed to the bullpen as a last resort to extend their careers. Maybe the same can happen with Harvey.

The Royals really have nothing to lose. They are heading towards the bottom of the standings, looking to lock in one of the early picks next season. On their end, there is no harm in seeing if Harvey can turn into something useful as a reliever.

If not, the Kansas City Royals may find themselves with a better draft pick. However, this may be the last possible path for success for Matt Harvey.