Royals' Daniel Lynch: Yields three homers to White Sox
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Lynch (6-6) took the loss after allowing nine runs on seven hits and three walks across four innings against the White Sox on Tuesday. He struck out two.
Lynch was unable to contain the White Sox and recorded his worst outing of the season. The southpaw allowed three homers, including three-run long balls to Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk. Over 55 appearances (nine starts) this season, Lynch has posted a 4.13 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 54:26 K:BB over 80.2 innings. The 29-year-old is scheduled to make his next start in Game 162 against Cleveland on Sunday.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Second straight win in rotation
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Lynch (6-5) picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the Astros, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five scoreless innings.
Lynch delivered his first scoreless outing since joining the Kansas City rotation on August 7. It's the second straight victory for the 29-year-old, who has pitched exactly five frames in each of his past three outings while giving up seven runs with a 6:4 K:BB. As a starter this season, he has a 5.28 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB over 30.2 innings across eight starts. The left-hander next lines up to take the mound against the White Sox.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Labors in no-decision
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Lynch didn't factor into the decision against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out three.
Most of the damage came via a second-inning two-run home run by Angel Martinez, and Lynch wasn't particularly efficient either. The left-hander did make progress on building himself up, however, as he reached the 70-pitch threshold for the first time this season. He'll be aiming to increase his pitch count his next time out against Toronto, but Lynch now has a 6.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 15.2 innings since joining the rotation Aug. 7.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Season-long outing in no-decision
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Lynch took a no-decision against the Tigers on Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Lynch worked rather efficiently, tossing 38 of his 59 pitches for strikes, but he's not quite yet built up to handle a traditional starter's workload. Sunday still marked a season-long outing for the southpaw, who has struggled to a 6.57 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 12.1 innings as a starter versus a 1.96 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 46 frames as a reliever. Lynch, who has a 2.93 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 43:17 K:BB for the season, will be looking to reach the 60-pitch marker for the first time this year his next time out against Cleveland.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Posts season-high workload Tuesday
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Lynch did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Athletics, allowing one run on two hits and two walks with one strikeout over four innings.
Lynch allowed a run in the first inning but held the Athletics scoreless from there while throwing 27 of 45 pitches for strikes and generating just two whiffs. It was the 29-year-old's third straight start, and he completed four frames in an outing for the first time in more than two years. He owns a 2.83 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 41:16 K:BB across 54 innings this season and lines up for a home matchup with the Tigers this weekend.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Handed loss in first 2026 start
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Lynch (4-3) took the loss Friday against the Cubs, giving up four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks over 1.2 innings.
The left-hander was making his first start of the season after pitching well out of the bullpen across the first four months of 2026. A brief outing was expected given the role change, but Lynch's early exit Friday was also the result of ineffectiveness, as Chicago forced him from the contest during a four-run second inning. The performance ended an 11-appearance scoreless streak and the four runs allowed are the most he's allowed in an outing all season. Lynch still has a 2.64 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 37:14 K:BB across 47.2 innings this year, but it'll take some time for him to build up to a full starter's workload after he threw 35 pitches Friday.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Will get look in rotation
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Lynch will start Friday's game against the Cubs, and the Royals intend to give the left-hander a longer look in the rotation, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
With a 1.96 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 46 relief appearances, Lynch has arguably been the Royals' top bullpen option this season. However, Kansas City's rotation depth has been thinned with Cole Ragans, Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila all recently undergoing season-ending elbow surgeries, so Lynch will get the chance to build back up as a starter, a role he hasn't handled full-time since 2023. Considering that he hasn't covered more than two innings in any of his 2026 appearances, he'll be operating on a limited pitch count Friday and will need time to get fully stretched out. Lynch didn't find much success while working as a starter to begin his MLB career, logging a 5.18 ERA and 1.52 ERA over 51 starts and 252 innings from 2021-23.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Picks up fourth win
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Lynch (4-2) earned the win in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Tigers. He allowed a hit without issuing a walk or recording a strikeout over one-plus innings.
Lynch entered in the eighth inning and worked a scoreless frame before Nick Loftin crushed a go-ahead solo homer in the top of the ninth to put the southpaw in position for the win. Lynch gave up a leadoff single to Riley Greene in the bottom of the ninth before giving way to Alex Lange, who secured the save. Across eight July appearances spanning 9.1 innings, Lynch has yet to surrender an earned run and has posted a 2-0 record. Overall, the 29-year-old has put together a quality campaign in a high-leverage role, producing a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB across 43.1 innings.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Collects four-out save
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Lynch struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the save in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Mariners.
Lynch was tasked with getting the last out of the eighth inning and did so with no trouble before pitching a clean ninth as well. Lucas Erceg would normally get the closing call, but he had pitched the previous two days and was presumably unavailable for Sunday. Lynch had taken a blown save Friday against the Mariners but ended up with the win in that contest, which was just the third time he's been scored upon this season. He's at a 1.98 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 18:3 K:BB with a save and three holds over 13.2 innings this season. Lynch saw a bit of late-inning work last year and should continue to be in the mix for setup work, at least until Carlos Estevez (foot) returns.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Throws scoreless inning
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Lynch picked up a hold Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect eighth inning during a 10-9 loss to Detroit.
The 29-year-old left-hander maintained a one-run lead on an efficient seven pitches (six strikes), only for Lucas Erceg to blow the save in the ninth inning. Lynch has now appeared in seven games, allowing only one earned run in 7.2 innings and recording at least one strikeout in each appearance.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Gets $1.025 million from Royals
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Lynch agreed to a one-year, $1.025 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lynch finished the 2025 campaign with a 3.06 ERA across 67.2 innings, although his 4.75 FIP indicates he may have been fortunate to get those results. He'll pick up a slight raise for 2026 and figures to continue working in a multi-inning relief role for the Royals.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Earns win Saturday
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Lynch (5-2) earned the win Saturday against the White Sox. He allowed a hit and no walks with no strikeouts over two scoreless innings.
The southpaw came on in relief after Michael Lorenzen worked four innings in his return from the IL. Since returning from the injured list himself with an elbow injury Aug. 3, Lynch has posted a 3.48 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across six appearances, picking up two wins over 10.1 innings.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Back from IL
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The Royals reinstated Lynch (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Sunday.
The left-hander has been sidelined nearly a month due to nerve irritation in his elbow, but he's ready to rejoin the Royals after making two rehab appearances in the minors. Lynch primarily works in middle relief but sees occasional high-leverage work with one save and four holds this season. He's been effective through 39 appearances with a 2.59 ERA, though his 1.42 WHIP and 29:22 K:BB could indicate some trouble on the horizon.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Starting rehab assignment
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Lynch (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.
Nerve irritation in Lynch's left elbow landed him on the injured list July 6. Now that he has the green light to return to game action, the left-hander shouldn't require too many tune-up outings before being cleared to rejoin the Kansas City bullpen.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Shelved with elbow issue
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The Royals placed Lynch on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to left elbow nerve irritation.
The injury may have played a part in Lynch's recent struggles; the lefty reliever has allowed four earned runs on 10 hits and four walks in 7.2 innings over his last seven appearances. Kansas City recalled right-hander Jonathan Bowlan from Triple-A Omaha to replace Lynch in the bullpen.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Strikes out four
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Lynch allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out four in 2.2 innings Tuesday against the Reds. He did not factor into the decision.
Lynch made just his second start in what was his 23rd appearance overall this season. He allowed a second-inning home run to Tyler Stephenson but also recorded season highs in strikeouts and outs recorded. The numbers aren't flashy, but Lynch owns a 1.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 16:13 K:BB in 25.2 innings this season.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Kicks off bullpen game
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Lynch didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against San Francisco, allowing one hit and three walks across 1.2 innings. He struck out two.
Starters Cole Ragans (groin) and Seth Lugo (finger) hit the injured list Saturday, leaving an opening in the back end of Kansas City's rotation. Lynch has been used as a starter in past seasons, making him a candidate to fill the gap despite pitching only in relief to begin 2025. However, he threw just 40 pitches Wednesday and couldn't make it through two full frames in what ended up being a bullpen game for the Royals. It's unclear if Lynch will make another start and if the Royals will try to stretch him out, but Wednesday's outing shouldn't inspire much confidence in Lynch's short-term prospects as a rotation option.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Getting first start of season
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Lynch is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Giants in San Francisco, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Lynch has 54 career MLB starts on his ledger, but he's made all but three of his 36 appearances out of the bullpen since the 2024 season and has pitched exclusively in relief so far in 2025. The recent moves of Cole Ragans (groin) and Seth Lugo (finger) to the injured list will temporarily create an opening in the rotation, and Lynch could serve as the Royals' No. 5 starter until one of two injured hurlers is activated. Lynch has maxed out at two innings out of the bullpen this season and hasn't recorded more than four outs in an appearance since May 3, so the Royals could look to cap him at around 40-to-50 pitches Wednesday and treat the game as more of a bullpen day. Taylor Clarke and Angel Zerpa should be relatively fresh out of the bullpen and would likely be capable of giving the Royals multiple innings, if needed.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Poised for bullpen role
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Lynch is expected to open the season in the Royals' bullpen, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
He had been competing with Kris Bubic for the final spot in the rotation, but Lynch made a relief appearance Wednesday and is set for another one Friday as the Royals prep him for a bullpen role. Lynch proved to be a weapon in relief last season, collecting a 1.84 ERA and 27:8 K:BB over 29.1 regular-season innings.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: In mix for rotation spot
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Lynch has put himself in contention for the fifth starter role with a strong spring, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. He has a 1.80 ERA with nine strikeouts and no walks in 10 Cactus League innings.
Kris Bubic was seen as the leading candidate for the fifth starter role but has struggled a bit this spring with a 5.59 ERA, although that comes with an 8:2 K:BB across 9.2 innings. It's more likely Lynch begins the season in the bullpen, but he could join the rotation if there's an opening -- and Alec Marsh is currently dealing with a shoulder injury.
