In a word, 2023 was a painful season for Kyle Wright. The right-hander arrived in camp with shoulder problems and never got on top of it. Wright never regained the form that saw him lead MLB with 21 wins in 2022. Painfully, his time in The A ended when AA dealt him to Kansas City a few weeks ago.

Wright was the fifth player selected in the 2017 amateur draft and had a ton of promise. He finally seemed to figure things out in 2022, when he was 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA. This season he was just 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA and was a -.6 WAR performer. Wright appeared in nine games, starting seven. He worked just 31 innings and had a 1.839 WHIP.

Slow start only gets worse

After easing into the season after missing Spring Training, Kyle worked just 18.2 innings before being placed on the IL. Wright allowed four runs, four hits, and four walks in his first outing of the season, a no-decision against the Reds. The longest outing of the season was his next start, a 5.2 inning effort against his current team. In another no-decision against the Royals, Wright allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. His lone win came in his final appearance for the Braves.

Wright was dealt to the Royals on Nov. 17 for Jackson Kowar. The move was part of a liquidating of assets in a cost-saving measure by the organization. Kowar lasted all of two weeks in the organization before being traded to Seattle in the deal that landed Jared Kelenic.

I’m disappointed to see Wright go. The kid had a ton of promise, what with that mid-90’s heater and wipe-out slider. It was a ton of fun to watch him figure it out in ’22. Here’s to hoping he can return in 2025 and not endure another painful season.