GM J.J. Picollo on why the Royals are taking a chance on lefty Dallas Keuchel
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals signed veteran lefty Dallas Keuchel amid mounting rotation injuries.
- Keuchel posted a 4.73 ERA over three Triple-A starts before possible MLB return.
- GM Picollo cites experience, work ethic as key factors in veteran signings.
There are six words Royals general manager J.J. Picollo often inserts into any conversation he has with the media while discussing the future.
You can never have enough pitching.
That seemed a tad alarmist earlier this season because the Royals’ rotation comprised of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen and Kris Bubic. All five have or would be picked for the All-Star Game, while Lugo and Ragans finished in the top 4 in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2024.
But months later, Ragans and Lorenzen are on the injured list and Royals manager Matt Quatraro on Monday said Bubic is expected to miss the rest of the season.
So, yeah, it turns out you can never have enough pitching.
Rich Hill, the 45-year-old lefty who made his second start for the Royals on Monday night, isn’t the only pitcher whose career seemed to be over but has been given a second chance with Kansas City.
Earlier this month, the Royals signed former Cy Young Award winning lefty Dallas Keuchel. who has pitched for five teams since 2022. Keuchel started four games for the Brewers last year and had a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings.
Keuchel, 37, made three starts for Triple-A Omaha and has 11 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings pitched. He has a 4.73 ERA and could be tabbed to start Wednesday for the Royals.
General manager J.J. Picollo explained why the Royals gave Keuchel and Hill a chance.
“Those guys that have done it are out there and working hard to get back. They’ve been here, they’ve done it, so nothing’s going to overwhelm them in the major leagues,” Picollo told me last week. “It’s just a matter of if their stuff’s good enough to be able to still compete at this level. Rich went to Arizona. He got himself in shape. Was a great influence on the young guys down there. I mean, he’s been playing longer than a lot of those guys have been alive, you know, so kind of a neat setup.
“The coaching staff said he was outstanding in Arizona, then he goes to Omaha and had great influence there as well. And you can just see the way he carries himself around here, very endearing.”
Hill who appeared in a mere four games in 2024, wasn’t invited to any team’s spring training. But the itch remained and he didn’t want to retire with something still in the tank.
When Hill decided to make a comeback, it involved a lot of work. After his first start last week in Chicago, he thanked those who worked closely with him.
“I was fortunate to have a guy, Jason Turner back home, who worked with me and caught all my bullpens and all the long-toss programs and everything like that throughout the building up to this,” Hill said. ”And (trainer) Mike Reinhold back home and working with him, and getting my shoulder, my body right, and all the guys at Champion Performance (and Physical Therapy). I was fortunate to have people in Massachusetts to put me in this position.”
Dallas Keuchel time?
Hill made nine starts for Omaha, but Keuchel won’t need that much work in the minors to get ready to pitch for the Royals.
“He was working out, and when his representative thought that he was ready to be seen he let teams know, and we had a scout that went in to see him throw and made the recommendation to bring him in,” Picollo said. “So, very similar, went to Arizona for a short period of time. He was a little bit further along in I’ll say his buildup than Rich was. So it was a very short amount of time in Arizona, then he went right out to Omaha.
“Yeah, so very similar, but our scout made the recommendation (that the) strike-zone command and his velocity is OK. Stuff still needs to get sharped up a little bit, but hitters will tell you if the stuff’s good.”
That’s something Keuchel might find out at the major-league level soon as the Royals haven’t announced a starter for Wednesday’s game against the Braves.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM with the headline "GM J.J. Picollo on why the Royals are taking a chance on lefty Dallas Keuchel."
