Greg Holland shut down for remainder of season

The Kansas City Royals’ relief depth will be tested with Greg Holland out for the season.

More from Kansas City Royals

After struggling for much of the year, Greg Holland already lost his position as the closer for the first place Kansas City Royals. Now the news is even worse for Holland, as the team announced on Thursday that he will not pitch for the remainder of the 2015 season, according to Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star.

Greg Holland will not pitch again in 2015, the Royals announce.
— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) September 24, 2015

Holland has not pitched since Sep. 18 due to a sore right elbow. He will have the elbow examined later this week, with a torn UCL and prospect of needing Tommy John surgery being the biggest fear. Such an injury would make sense given Holland’s performance in 2015 compared to his career norms. After posting a 1.44 ERA in 2014, Holland has a 3.83 ERA this season to go along with a strikeout rate that has declined by over 12 percent according to FanGraphs.com.

Next: Best Starting Pitchers in MLB History

The biggest clue that Holland may be dealing with a UCL injury is his significantly diminished velocity. Per FanGraphs, Holland is averaging 93.6 milers per hour on his fastball this season, compared to a career mark of 95.5.

Fortunately for the Royals, who could clinch the AL Central crown as soon as Thursday night, the back-end of the bullpen is still a strength without Holland. The dominant Wade Davis has already assumed the closer role, while Kelvin Herrera figures to get the high-leverage innings prior to the ninth. The key in the playoffs will be finding the third guy after that and having enough bullpen depth to advance in October. As seen last year, Kansas City is at its best when it can shorten the game to six innings and rely on its bullpen and defense.

Ryan Madson could end up being the unlikeliest of postseason heroes for the Royals. Pitching in the Majors for the first time since 2011 due to two Tommy John procedures, Madson has a 2.31 ERA (3.13 FIP) this season according to FanGraphs. Franklin Morales has also been solid this season and could see some work in that seventh inning role.

Even so, the Royals can’t hope to match the effectiveness of the Herrera-Davis-Holland trio from last year the 2015 postseason. There’s still some depth here, but the pitching staff as a whole is a big concern heading into the playoffs. The loss of Holland looms big for a team playing its worst baseball at the wrong time.

More from Kansas City Royals

Home/Kansas City Royals