The Kansas City Royals could have used another bat after being shut out 5-0 by the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, but they upgraded their bullpen instead.
The Royals agreed to a trade with the Washington Nationals, acquiring relief pitcher Hunter Harvey, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“Trade news: The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN.”
In exchange, the Royals sent out third baseman Cayden Wallace and the 39th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, which starts Sunday.
Harvey, 29, has posted a 3.20 ERA over 168 2/3 innings for the Nationals and Orioles after Baltimore selected him No. 22 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. He has a 4.20 ERA with 50 strikeouts and a 1.22 WHIP in 45 innings for Washington this season.
Harvey is having a down year in relation to his past but is still averaging more than a strikeout per inning. He also comes with another year of team control.
The Nationals are 44-52 on the season — 18.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and six games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild-card spot.
The Royals, on the other hand, have been one of baseball's biggest surprises this year. Kansas City is 52-44 and only a game behind the Boston Red Sox for the American League's last wild-card spot.
Wallace, 22, is slashing .280/.348/.406 this season at the Rookie and Single-A levels.
Bobby Witt Jr. representing Royals at All-Star festivities
As if making his first MLB All-Star appearance close to home wasn’t enough, Bobby Witt Jr. will participate in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby in Arlington, Texas next week. The Kansas City Royals star shortstop announced his involvement in the competition on social media last Monday afternoon, the day after he was named to the American League All-Star team.
Witt did not take much convincing to say yes to the Derby. The 24-year-old grew up just outside of Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers and host of MLB's 2024 All-Star festivities, where his father spent 11 of his 16 MLB seasons.
After earning an All-Star nod, slugging it out in the Derby was an easy choice for Witt.
“I’m just going to enjoy it, and whatever happens, happens,” Witt said, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers. “Just have fun being back in Texas.”
Witt is the fifth Royals player to swing in the MLB Home Run Derby and the first since Salvador Perez in 2021. Mike Moustakas, Danny Tartabull and Bo Jackson have also participated in a Derby as Royals players.
Witt leads Major League Baseball with 124 hits and tops the American League with 25 doubles. He has not missed a game this season, putting up an impressive .327/.374/.567 slash line with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. He's also tied for second in the MLB in runs scored and fifth in stolen bases.
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