“It’s one of those things where this is still sort of like an ongoing thing,” Royals assistant general manager Scott Sharp explained. “So, out of respect to Jordan and the personal nature of it, we don’t want to comment too much. We wish him well moving forward.”
Lyles returned to the Royals in June and worked out in Surprise, Arizona, aiming for a return to the majors. The Royals crafted a plan for Lyles to pitch in simulated games at their spring training complex. However, by Saturday, a decision was necessary. According to MLB rules, a player has 30 days of baseball activities after returning from the restricted list before a team must decide whether to add him back to the 40-man roster and the active 26-man roster. Lyles, who has more than five years of service time, was released as he cannot be optioned without his consent and is not subject to a rehab assignment after reporting back to the club.
“We were in a position where we had to make a decision,” Sharp said. “And the best decision for the organization was to release Jordan Lyles.”
After clearing release waivers on Sunday, Lyles became a free agent. The Royals relied heavily on Lyles during their 106-loss campaign last season, where he made 31 starts and recorded three complete games with a 6.28 ERA over 177 2/3 innings.
“It’s not how we wanted it to work out,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro commented. “We know he has been gone for personal reasons. And there’s not a whole lot else we can really say about it other than we hope everything works out the best for him.
“We signed him here for a two-year deal with hopes we have him here the whole time. But it just didn’t work out.”
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