KANSAS CITY -- Could right-hander Matt Harvey wind up being part of the Royals’ plans in 2020?

There are encouraging signs. Club officials have indicated Harvey, who was signed by Kansas City as a Minor League free agent less than two weeks ago, has been throwing well at the team’s alternate training facility at T-Bones Stadium.

“Throwing well and working hard,” one club official said.

The Royals recently were able to return Brad Keller and Jakob Junis to the rotation off the injured list, and have added rookies Brady Singer and Kris Bubic, both of whom have promising starts to their careers.

Harvey, 31, certainly could provide depth. He was a dominant pitcher in the National League with the Mets not that long ago, helping steer them to the World Series against the Royals in 2015.

Harvey last pitched in the Majors with the Angels in 2019 and had a 3-5 mark with a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts.

Lopez DFA'd
The Royals have been curious about right-hander Jorge López’s potential ever since they acquired him in 2018 from Milwaukee in the Mike Moustakas trade. Later that season, López pitched a nearly perfect game in Minnesota before losing the bid in the ninth inning.

But López has been a mystery since. Though arguably having some of the best stuff on the staff, he has struggled -- he had a 6.33 ERA in 39 games (18 starts) in 2019. He made only one appearance in 2020 before the team recently put him on the bereavement/family medical emergency list.

The Royals on Friday designated the 27-year-old for assignment. Lopez was out of Minor League options.

“When you run out of options, players normally look forward to those days,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “But sometimes it is not the best. We had to make a decision that was best for the organization.

“So excited about his stuff. You have to be. We talked about so much with him, about mound presence, about focus between innings. He wanted to learn. You kept hoping it clicks with him.

“I think he kind of saw this coming. He was grateful for what this organization did for him. That was the first thing that came out of his mouth.”