Determined Daniel Lynch IV Working on Return to Kauffman – Farm to Fountains

It seemed like 2023 would be a breakout year for Daniel Lynch IV in Kansas City. After coming off two frustrating years as a rookie and starting on rehab assignments earlier that season, Lynch was due for a big year.

However, a bad shoulder injury sidelined the upstart Royals pitcher in mid-July. Lynch suffered a strain on his throwing shoulder following a win over the Detroit Tigers on July 18th and was shut down until September. Since then, he’s been rehabilitating that shoulder since the offseason in hopes of regaining his role with the Royals.

“There’s been a lot of change with my workout routine,” Lynch told me, “Lots of physical therapy, a few tweaks here and there, then obviously rest. Not pitching every fifth day certainly helps. After I got hurt, I got a cortisone shot to calm everything down. I’ve been monitoring how it feels and focusing on how it’s strong and if it’s moving the right way.”

Lynch wasn’t just focused on getting back to 100%. He was also working on improving pitching mechanics in the offseason in the hopes of returning to where he was in 2021 when he first stepped onto the green grass at Kauffman Stadium.

“My velocity has dipped since I’ve been hurt,” said Lynch, “So I’ve been hoping to get my velocity back up to where it was a few years ago. It hasn’t happened yet, which is frustrating, but it’s still a work in progress. It’s slowly starting to climb back, but it might take a full offseason to come back.”

Lynch made five appearances in Spring Training, giving up just four runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out nine in 13 combined innings. Unfortunately, it was not enough to get him back in the rotation in Kansas City. With Cole Ragans acquired in a trade with Texas last season, and Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo signed as free agents this past offseason, the Royals had no choice but to send Lynch back to Omaha to start the season.

“I felt like I had pitched well in the spring to put myself in a good position to make the team,” Lynch said, “I thought, based on how I pitched last year and aside from the starts where I pitched injured, I thought I threw the ball well. But we went and made some great acquisitions in the offseason and when you’re in a position when you’re trying to win, that’s just the way things go. So obviously I’m disappointed, but I can use that as motivation. I want to do everything I can to get back to the big leagues where I feel like I belong.”

Despite the demotion back to Triple-A, Royals coaches told Lynch that they still believe in him as much as he believes in himself. 

Lynch told me what his coaches have told him: “Don’t let up. Play with a chip on your shoulder. You should be frustrated and mad, but just keep moving forward.”

There have been certain occasions where Lynch has been called up to the Royals amid a minor league series. Kansas City has called him up three times this season (twice in May, one being an emergency call-up, and another in June. Lynch has made five appearances with the Royals this season and has started three of them. He was called up to face the Minnesota Twins back on May 30th while the Storm Chasers were in the middle of a series with the Indy Indians.

“It’s all still baseball, but it’s a nervous process,” said Lynch, “You gotta pack your stuff up and get to the airport and jump right into that start. [The Royals] do a good job of having material ready for me to study the hitters and settle into the game. With the starts I’ve had in the past with them, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I just go out there and pitch the best I can and give the team a chance to win.”

The ace of the Chasers has certainly let the upper management in Kansas City know he’s ready to get back into a full-time role in the future. Lynch has made 18 starts this season for Omaha and has yet to lose a start. He has a record of 9-0 with the Chasers dating back to last season! This year, Lynch has thrown 101.2 innings. Of those 101.2 innings, he’s given up 38 earned runs (42 total) on 98 hits while walking 28 and striking out 81. He’s 7-0 on the season, his 3.36 ERA is a MiLB-career best so far, and he’s on pace to set a new career best in strikeouts. 

“I don’t pay attention to all that,” Lynch said, “I’m just trying to execute pitches and I think that’s helped those numbers, but I’ll let that take care of itself as long as I make my pitches.”

Lynch told me he did see himself being recognized for IL Pitcher of the Month a few days ago. In July he went 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA in five starts (31.2 IP) with 29 strikeouts. 

“It feels nice to be recognized, but I’m just trying to focus on the next start.”

When I asked him about how he processes previous starts into the next one, Lynch told me “I write everything down that I’m thinking about after the game, look at it again the next day, then evaluate after I look at my game report. I take it into my work during the week, my bullpen sessions, then into the start.”

Lynch will start on Thursday night when the Chasers continue their series with the Iowa Cubs. With two months to go in the season, he sees the next couple of weeks as an opportunity for everyone to keep developing before the end of September when the real work begins.

“As much as we’ve been winning, we’re all still trying to develop and get better. We have a lot of young guys, a lot of guys who have been at the major league level that aren’t happy with the way they’ve played. I think the work is still there and then we’re just going out there and going for the win.”

Down 1-0 in the series with Iowa, the Chasers turn to Noah Cameron to try to even the series tonight at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 7:05pm in East Nebraska.