The Kansas City Royals have scheduled a rehab assignment with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for pitcher Kyle Wright starting on Friday, the American League announced.

A former Buckhorn High School star, Wright has not pitched in a game since Sept. 28, 2023, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

“You definitely take it for granted, just being healthy and able to show up every day and be available all the time,” Wright said during spring training. “They say it all the time: The best ability you can have in this game is availability. To not have that has been a struggle for me. Being able to get back to that and, hopefully, just being a reliable asset to this team, whatever role I’m asked to be in, is something I really look forward to.”

Wright spent the 2024 season rehabilitating after shoulder surgery.

Shoulder issues wrecked Wright’s 2023 season after he had a breakthrough showing in 2022. After four seasons up and down with the Braves, Wright posted a 21-5 record with a 3.19 earned-run average in 30 starts for Atlanta. He also pitched six shutout innings for a win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the postseason.

In 2023, Wright didn’t pitch for the Braves between May 3 and Sept. 11. He had three minor-league rehab outings in between. For the season, Wright went 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA in nine games, including seven starts, for Atlanta.

On Dec. 11, 2023, the Braves traded the right-hander to Kansas City for pitcher Jackson Kowar.

“He’s an elite pitcher in the league,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said during spring training. “We know this is a long road back. But you got a guy like that, 20-game winner, all those kinds of things, the presence he has, the experience he has, it’s a huge wild card for us to be a big boost later.”

Northwest Arkansas is Kansas City’s Double-A affiliate. The Naturals have a Texas League doubleheader against the Springfield Cardinals at 5:05 p.m. CDT Friday at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri.

A two-time All-State player at Buckhorn, where he played for his father, Roger Wright, Kyle Wright pitched three seasons at Vanderbilt before going pro as the fifth player picked in the 2017 draft. He made his big-league debut the next year.

In 60 MLB games, with 51 starts, Wright has a 24-16 record with a 4.45 ERA. In 281.1 innings, Wright has struck out 267 and yielded 266 hits and 118 walks.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.