Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha was excellent on Sunday, shutting out the Minnesota Twins for seven innings in a 2-0 win. Wacha allowed just four hits and a walk while punching out seven in this one. The 33-year-old veteran has been clinical for most of the season, just as he has been since the 2022 campaign. He is a reliable source for a good ERA, decent WHIP, and some strikeouts while being a workhorse capable of 175-plus IP. He is a great back-end arm in any fantasy rotation.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha put together another strong performance in Friday night's victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies at Kauffman Stadium, striking out five batters over six innings of two-run ball. Wacha submitted his fifth consecutive quality start on Friday against the Phillies, surrendering six hits and no walks en route to his 11th win of the year overall. The 33-year-old right-hander has quietly been one of the most reliable starters in all of baseball for over three months now, going 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 82:28 K:BB across his last 16 starts (95 1/3 frames) since May 9. A tough test awaits Wacha in the form of a clash with the first-place Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Wednesday.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha dominated on Saturday evening as he tossed six shutout frames while striking out a season-high nine batters. He allowed just four hits and one free pass. The veteran right-hander carried a modest 3.28 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 9:14 BB:K ratio across his previous four starts entering Saturday, and this stellar outing will get him back on track. Through his first season as a Royal, the 33-year-old has settled in quite well with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP through 127 innings of work. Wacha is currently lined up for a difficult matchup in his next start when the Royals play host to the Philadelphia Phillies next week. Wacha is still worth starting in deeper formats, but it may be best to leave him on your bench in shallower leagues, given the elite bats in the Philadelphia lineup.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha turned in his third-straight quality start on Saturday evening against the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-hander tossed seven innings of two-run ball with five hits and two walks while striking out six batters. Since the start of July, the 33-year-old has held a strong 2.78 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 12:26 BB:K ratio. This is a great sign as he posted a 3.91 ERA through most of the first half. While his strikeout rate has not been high, he has done very well in limiting hard contact at an excellent 32.5% rate. Wacha is worth adding in shallow formats while he continues to enjoy this hot stretch.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha struck out seven batters across seven shutout frames on Friday evening against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed just four hits and one free pass. This was a nice bounce back for the 33-year-old, as he allowed three earned runs and seven hits in his previous start. Across 96 innings this season, the right-hander holds a solid 3.55 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 28:85 BB:K ratio. Wacha is scheduled to face Arizona in his next start on Wednesday, July 24 and is worth starting in deeper leagues as he should continue to provide stable ratios in the second half.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha hopes his recent success carries into the second half when he gets the ball in Friday's series opener at home against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Wacha has been very reliable for the Royals over his last nine starts, generating a 2.61 ERA and 47:17 K:BB over 51 2/3 innings since May 9. The 33-year-old former All-Star has revived his career in recent years, and he'll belong in all fantasy lineups for the start of the second half on Friday. In three appearances versus the White Sox since 2023, Wacha has a microscopic 0.90 ERA alongside a 19:4 K:BB through 20 frames during this period.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (4-5) walked away with the win Wednesday night, going six innings and allowing one run on two hits and three walks while tying a season-high with eight strikeouts in a 4-2 win versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Make that eight starts in a row Wacha has put together of allowing two runs or less since he gave up seven earned runs back on May 4 to the Texas Rangers. Although the numbers aren't sexy, the veteran righty has put up a solid 3.74 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his first season in royal blue. Wacha will look to continue his dominant run in a homecoming matchup versus his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, next Tuesday at Busch Stadium.

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said on Friday that starting pitcher Michael Wacha (foot) is "on track" to return to the rotation for Saturday's game against the defending-champion Texas Rangers, and the hurler is officially listed as the probable starter. Wacha made a rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League on Monday as he worked his way back from a fractured left foot, throwing four scoreless innings on two hits and no walks with six strikeouts. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander holds a vanilla 4.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 56:20 K:BB through 68 innings (12 starts) for the Royals this year, and fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach before inserting Wacha back into lineups on Saturday against a dangerous Rangers lineup.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (foot) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left foot fracture. As a result, Daniel Lynch IV will take Wacha's spot in the rotation. Wacha said he never felt any pain on the mound but did feel sore after his most recent start on Friday May 31. The 32-year-old posted a 4.24 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 68 innings this season and is likely to miss an extended period of time. Lynch has made two starts this season and has looked quite strong with a 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and an 8:2 K:BB ratio through 12 innings. He is worth a look in AL-only formats in favorable matchups.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (foot) had a walking boot on his left foot after being hit by a line drive from the first batter of Friday's series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres, and he's heading for scans on Saturday to determine the extent of the damage. The Royals will be able to provide an official diagnosis after the scans are completed, but it's encouraging that the hurler didn't need to exit the contest early. Wacha ended up throwing 5 1/3 innings on Friday, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts without factoring into the decision. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander should be deemed day-to-day until more information comes to light, but his next scheduled start on Thursday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians looks to be very much up in the air. Wacha has a mediocre 4.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 56:20 K:BB over 12 starts (68 innings) during his first season in KC this year.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha tallied his second victory of the season against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday by tossing six innings of three-run ball (two earned). Wacha allowed just three hits but struggled with his control, giving up five free passes. He struck out six. This was a big bounce-back performance for the 32-year-old as he got chased out of his previous start on May 4 against the Texas Rangers, allowing seven earned runs in just three innings. Wacha now sits with a 5.15 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with just 37 punchouts across 43 innings. Wacha has done well with limiting hard contact with an excellent 35.0% hard-hit rate and sports a 4.08 xERA, suggesting he could be due for some positive regression. However, Wacha remains an option for deeper leagues and should only be deployed in favorable matchups.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha allowed 10 hits and gave up five runs while taking a loss in last Friday's 6-1 defeat to the New York Mets, but he finds himself in prime position to bounce back in Wednesday's start on the road in one part of a doubleheader against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Although Wacha holds a mediocre 4.00 ERA (2.75 FIP) through 18 innings (three starts) to begin his Royals debut season, his 1.05 WHIP is a cause for optimism. Since 2023, the 32-year-old journeyman right-hander is 2-0 with 14 scoreless frames and 15 strikeouts over two appearances against the White Sox. Additionally, the current Chicago roster is hitting a career .141 across 72 plate appearances versus Wacha. With the ChiSox sitting dead last in baseball with 34 runs scored, treat Wacha as a confident fantasy option on Wednesday's full slate.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (1-0) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. He picked up his first win of the season. Wacha was terrific on Saturday, blanking the White Sox over seven frames. The 32-year-old threw 93 pitches, landing 59 for strikes. He owns a 2.25 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts over 12 innings in 2024. He is off to a hot start and will look to build on Saturday's performance in his next start Friday on the road against the New York Mets. Wacha can be used as a streamer and should be rostered in all leagues while he continues to pitch well in 2024.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (finger) is fine and isn't expected to miss any time to open the 2024 regular season. Manager Matt Quatraro said Wacha woke up Monday morning and even "forgot about it." Wacha is the club's No. 4 starter in his first year in KC, joining Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Brady Singer and Alec Marsh. The 32-year-old veteran suffered a bruised right middle finger during an intrasquad game on Sunday, but it won't impact his availability for the start of the 2024 campaign. He's expected to make his Royals debut on April 1 in a tough matchup against the defending American League East-champion Baltimore Orioles. Fantasy managers should expect regression from Wacha after two straight fortunate seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha has enjoyed a nice spring through his first four outings of Cactus League action. The veteran has pitched to a 3.86 ERA to this point with two of his four outings coming as the scoreless variety. He has struck out 10 against four walks in his 9 1/3 innings of work. It appears the next step for the 32-year-old will be to build up his innings after maxing out at 3 2/3 frames his last time out. Wacha joined the Royals on a two-year, $32 million deal this winter on the heels of a 2023 campaign that saw him pitch to a healthy 3.22 ERA across 24 starts with the Padres, going 14-4 in the process. However, he also posted a 4.43 SIERA, suggesting some regression for 2024 as ATC projects a 4.45 ERA across another 24 starts for him this upcoming season.

Free-agent right-hander Michael Wacha and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal on Friday. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the first year. Wacha landed on the open market when he declined a $6.5 million player option for 2024 with the San Diego Padres after a bounce-back year in 2023 in which he went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA (3.89 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, 43 walks and 124 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings pitched over 24 starts for the Friars. The 32-year-old will have a locked-in rotation spot in the best division for pitchers in baseball, but some regression should be coming for a pitcher with plenty of injury risk that relies on inducing weak contact rather than missing bats. Limiting the long ball, which he did effectively last year, will be another key if he's going to be effective for a third season in a row in his new digs in KC.

The Kansas City Royals are casting a wide net in search of starting pitching this offseason and have shown interest in right-handers Michael Wacha and Jack Flaherty. The two veterans aren't the only starters linked to the club as Marcus Stroman, Lucas Giolito, and Seth Lugo have also reportedly been on the club's radar. Wacha enjoyed a fine season in 2023 as he posted a 3.22 ERA across 24 starts with the Padres one season after working to a similar 3.32 ERA in 23 outings with the Red Sox. Unsurprisingly, he opted out of a $6.5 million player option following the season. On the flip side, Flaherty largely struggled between the Cardinals and Orioles a season ago, tossing a 4.99 ERA across 144 1/3 innings, including a 6.75 ERA in 34 2/3 frames following a trade-deadline deal to Baltimore.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha will become a free agent this winter. The organization has decided to decline the two-year $32 million team option on Wacha. It sounds like the right-hander would rather test free agency after a strong 2023 campaign. The 32-year-old held a 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 124/43 K/BB ratio over 24 starts. He should be able to secure a solid multi-year deal in free agency. There should be plenty of suitors for Wacha after his reliable 2023 season.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha (shoulder) has been officially activated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. The right-hander has been sidelined since early July due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Wacha will take the ball versus the Baltimore Orioles in his return to the mound on Tuesday. Before going down, Wacha held an impressive 2.84 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 73/25 K/BB in 15 starts this season. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Wacha back in their lineups for Tuesday's slate.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha (shoulder) is slated to be activated from the injured list and return to the team's rotation on Tuesday versus the Baltimore Orioles. Yu Darvish was originally penciled in for that one, so he figures to be moved back a day. Wacha has sat on the injured list since early July due to right shoulder inflammation. The 32-year-old tossed 67 pitches on Thursday during a simulated game, but it remains to be seen if he'll be on some sort of pitch count for his first game back in over a month. Wacha hasn't fared well against the O's in the past, logging a career 5.87 ERA and 1.46 WHIP covering 38.1 innings (nine starts) opposing them since 2020. Fantasy managers still need to make sure the right-hander isn't floating around waiver wires; Wacha is attaining top-50 roto value in 2023 on a 2.84 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, and eight wins through 85.2 frames.