Kansas City Royals Officially Release Former Top Pick

Right-hander Alec Marsh has elected free agency from the Kansas City Royals, according to the MiLB transaction log.

The move follows the Royals outrighting Marsh, along with fellow right-handers Alex Lange, Mason Black, Connor Seabold, and Easton McGee, to Triple-A Omaha on October 22.

Marsh and Lange were eligible to decline the assignment and hit the open market due to their service time; Seabold and McGee had already elected free agency after the same wave of outrights.

Marsh, who turns 29 next May, has spent his entire professional career in the Royals organization.

Kansas City selected him in the Competitive Balance B round of the 2019 MLB Draft (70th overall, often described as a second-round pick) out of Arizona State.

He reached the majors in 2023 and appeared in 43 games (33 starts) across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, posting a 12-18 record with a 4.96 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 203 1/3 innings.

His best year came in 2024, when he won a rotation spot out of spring training and went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA over 25 starts and 129 innings, giving the Royals a reliable back-of-the-rotation arm during a competitive season.

Injuries derailed him afterward.

Shoulder problems kept Marsh on the injured list for all of 2025; he underwent labrum surgery in November of that year.

He spent the entire 2026 campaign rehabbing and did not pitch in any official games over the past two seasons.

With at least three years of major-league service time, he held the right to elect free agency rather than accept the minor-league assignment.

The outrights clear roster spots as the Royals, who finished 69-93 in 2026, prepare for the offseason, the Rule 5 Draft, and free agency.

Marsh’s departure marks the end of a chapter for a homegrown arm who showed promise as a starter before the shoulder issues.

He now enters the free-agent market seeking a new opportunity, potentially on a minor-league deal if he can demonstrate he is healthy and ready to return to competitive action.