Last offseason, after a stellar debut season with the Royals, Michael Wacha and the front office worked out a deal for him to bypass free agency and return to Kansas City. That proved fruitful for both player and team as Wacha paced the team in innings pitched and games started, while other veteran starting pitchers spent significant time on the injured list.

Wacha started 31 games in 2025, five more than both Michael Lorenzen (who added a relief appearance) and Seth Lugo. Relatedly, Wacha led the Royals in innings pitched with 172.2, a whopping 27 innings ahead of the next pitcher, Lugo.

For Wacha, those 31 games started were a career-high and the first time he started at least 30 games since 2017, when he was a 25-year-old dealing for the Cardinals. Only once in his 13-year career did

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