Ex-Braves 20-Game Winner Another Step Closer to MLB Return

The Atlanta Braves gave up on starting pitcher Kyle Wright a year and a half ago. The right-hander hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since then.

But after Friday, Wright is another step closer to pitching in an MLB uniform again.

Wright began a rehab assignment Friday, starting a game with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. It was Wright's first official outing since September 2023 when he was with the Braves.

“Now to actually get in a game where there are people in the stands, umpires calling the game full-on, pitch clock enforced, all that stuff -- it’s exciting,” Wright said in a phone interview with MLB.com's Anne Rogers before the outing. “I haven’t done that since September 2023. It’ll be good to get going a little fast and work on slowing myself down and get to do the things I’ve been working on. Hopefully it all takes care of itself.”

Wright allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks. He also struck out four over four innings.

Rogers reported Wright had slowly been working up to Friday's rehab start this spring. Wright started throwing bullpen sessions in March and began facing live hitters in batting practice on March 20. Then on April 10, Wright threw in his first extended spring training game.

Rogers wrote Wright's fastball has been averaging about 93 mph this spring.

According to Fangraphs, Wright averaged 95.1 mph on his fastball in 2022. During that season, Wright posted a 21-5 record with a 3.19 ERA, 1.159 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 180.1 innings.

That was a breakout campaign for the right-hander, who was 26 years old at the time. Before 2022, Wright was 2-8 with a 6.56 ERA in his MLB career.

The Braves invested a lot in Wright. Atlanta selected the right-hander from Vanderbilt at No. 5 overall in the first round of the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft. But following the 2023 season in which he made only 13 appearances in the MLB and minor leagues combined, the Braves dealt Wright to the Royals for pitcher Jackson Kowar.

Atlanta kept Kowar less than a month before trading him as part of a deal to land three players, including outfielder Jarred Kelenic, from the Seattle Mariners.

If things go smoothly with Wright's rehab assignment, the right-hander could join the Royals this summer.