Daniel resides in Richmond, Va., with his wife, Millie, and their daughter. He attended the University of Virginia, where he recorded 105 strikeouts in 88.2 innings (10.7 K/9) as a junior in 2018...He made six starts for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League in 2017, and went 4-0 with a 2.07 ERA (7 ER in 30.1 IP)...Lynch graduated from Douglas Freeman HS (Va.) in 2015 and was named a Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American following his senior year.
2025
Lynch IV made the Royals Opening Day roster in 2025 for the second time (also 2022) and made a career-best 57 appearances (two starts)...Began the season with 10.0 scoreless innings to run his scoreless streak to 30.2 innings that dated back to 2024 and marked the sixth-longest streak in Royals history...Had a 0.87 ERA (2 ER in 20.2 IP) in his first 19 appearances through May 18, but had a 4.02 ERA (21 ER in 47.0 IP) in 38 outings the rest of the season...Missed a month from July 6-Aug. 3 with left elbow nerve irritation...Inherited 21 runners and stranded 19 of them (91.5%), making him one of four pitchers in 2025 to inherit at least 20 runners and allow no more than two to score, joining Ben Casparius (29 inherited runners, 28 stranded), Fernando Cruz (27 IR, 25 stranded) and Bryan King (23 IR, 22 stranded).
2024
Lynch IV completed his fourth Major League season with the Royals in 2024 and found success after transitioning to a bullpen role late in the season...Made his season debut on May 5 vs. the Rangers and spun 5.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in an eventual 3-2 loss...Appeared in relief for the first time in his career on May 9 at Angel Stadium and spun two perfect innings, and was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on May 10...Was recalled on May 30 to make a spot start in Minnesota, and he allowed three runs (2 ER) over five innings in a 7-6 loss, then was optioned postgame...Was recalled from Omaha on June 2 and made two appearances (one start, one as a bulk pitcher following an opener), combining to allow 14 runs in 10.2 innings vs. the Mariners as a starter on June 7 and Yankees as the bulk pitcher on June 12...Was optioned to Omaha once more on June 13...His final recall came on Aug. 26, after which he spun 20.2 scoreless innings—all in relief—in 11 games, scattering nine hits and six walks with 24 strikeouts and a .130/.200/.174 opponents’ slashline...Earned his first Major League save with 3.0 scoreless innings in Game 2 of the Aug. 26 doubleheader in Cleveland...Became the first Royal with a three-inning save since Chris Young on Aug. 14, 2016 at Minnesota, and the first southpaw since Danny Duffy on Sept. 20, 2015 at Detroit...His 20.2-inning scoreless streak finished the season as the second-longest active streak in the Majors, behind only Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kelly (24.1 IP)...Including his relief appearance on May 9, which was a traditional relief outing, and excluding his outing on June 7, when he served as a bulk pitcher following an opener, he had 22.2 scoreless traditional relief innings...Was on Kansas City’s postseason roster in 2024, but did not appear in any games.
2023
Lynch IV was limited to just nine starts with the Royals in 2023…he missed the first 53 games of the season due to a rotator cuff strain suffered a week before Opening Day, and missed the final 66 games of the season with a left shoulder strain... He made five rehab appearances across two levels, prior to his return to the Royals, during which he recorded a 3.98 ERA (9 ER in 20.1 IP)... Lynch completed at least 5.0 innings in each of his nine starts with the Royals... Made one rehab appearance on Sept. 21 with Triple-A Omaha, before making one start with the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, and spent his winter making five starts for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League... Recorded a team-best 31.0 innings over five starts in the month of June, after which he was named Royals Pitcher of the Month for the first time in his career... On June 20 at Detroit, he held the Tigers to one hit over 7.0 scoreless innings en route to a 1-0 win...In four road starts, he recorded a 2.52 ERA (7 ER in 25.0 IP)…in five starts at home, he had a 6.59 ERA (20 ER in 27.1 IP).
2022
Lynch made 27 starts in 2022, matching Kris Bubic for the team lead, despite two stints on the Injured List with a blister on his left index finger, from June 23-July 11 and July 17-Aug. 1, during which he missed a combined 26 games...He recorded an 8.3 K/9 rate in 2022 (122 K in 131.2 IP), which ranked 10th among Major League left handers (min. 27 starts)...On June 17 at Oakland, Lynch recorded a careerbest 10 strikeouts in 5.0 innings, becoming the first Royals left hander with a double-digit strikeout game since Mike Montgomery on Aug. 10, 2019 at Detroit…Lynch also became the second Royal with 10 strikeouts in a start of 5.0 innings or fewer, joining Nate Karns, who had 12 strikeouts in 5.0 innings on May 13, 2017. ..Lynch allowed 79 runs in 2022, and 19 of them came in the 1st inning (24.0%), including only six first tinning runs in his final 17 starts…this was a significant improvement from 2021, when 20 of the 46 runs he allowed came in the 1st inning (43.5%).
2021
Made 15 starts with the Royals in his debut season, becoming the first Royal to start 15 games in his first big league season since Brad Keller (20) in 2018, and the first left-hander since Will Smith (16) in 2012...he was one of three first-year left-handers in the Majors in 2021 to make at least 15 starts, joining Ryan Weathers (18) and Shane McClanahan (25)...he was selected on May 3 to make his Major League debut and made three starts with Kansas City before returning to Triple-A Omaha on May 14...he was recalled on July 25 and remained in the Majors through season’s end...Made his debut with three starts during his first big league stint in May and totaled just 8.0 innings, in which he was charged with 15 runs on 18 hits and five walks...but after more than two months in the minors, the 24-year-old returned on July 25 and flipped the script, going 4-1 over his next seven starts with a 2.23 ERA (10 ER in 40.1 IP), a stretch in which the Royals won six of his seven starts and his ERA ranked seventh among qualified starters in the American League...following that stretch, he went 0-3 in five September starts with an 8.69 ERA (19 ER in 19.2 IP)...Optioned to Triple-A Omaha on May 14 and stayed there until his July 25 recall, a stretch in which he went 4-3 with a 5.84 ERA (37 ER in 57.0 IP) and 62 strikeouts (9.8 K/9) in 12 appearances (11 starts), but 41% of the runs he allowed came in consecutive starts from July 2-8, in which he allowed 15 runs in 7.2 innings...in his last two starts before his recall on July 15 and July 20, he held opponents to a combined four runs (3 ER) on eight hits and no walks in 9.0 innings, with 12 strikeouts, and issued just three walks over his last four Triple-A starts for a 1.6 BB/9...Threw 8.0 scoreless innings to earn his first career win on July 25 vs. Detroit...in doing so, Elias tells us that he became the fourth Royals pitcher to record at least 8.0 scoreless innings in his first career win, joining Bryan Bullington on Aug. 15, 2010 vs. the Yankees, Mark Gubicza on May 12, 1984 vs. the Red Sox and Jim Rooker on July 12, 1969 vs. the White Sox...Lynch became the first American League pitcher to accomplish this feat in eight years, since Sonny Gray pitched 8.0 scoreless frames for the A’s in his first win on Aug. 15, 2013 vs. Houston...Lynch was the first Royals pitcher to record at least 8.0 scoreless innings within his first four career appearances and the first in the Majors to turn the trick since Boston’s Brian Johnson threw a five-hit shutout on May 27, 2017 vs. Seattle...Surrendered 20 first-inning runs in 15 starts during his rookie season for a 12.27 ERA in the first frame, which accounted for 43.5% of the 46 runs he allowed for the entire year...from the second inning on, he pitched to a 3.88 ERA (23 ER in 53.1 IP)...the first-inning woes were an issue in his second start on May 8 vs. the White Sox, in which he was charged with eight runs and recorded just two outs...he allowed just one first-inning run during a seven-start stretch from July 25-Aug. 28, but 11 of the 21 runs he allowed in five September starts (52.4%) came in the first inning...After losing each of Lynch’s first three starts during his first big league stint, the Royals went 8-4 in his 12 starts following his July 25 recall.
2020
Pitched at the Royals alternate training site in Kansas City, Kansas...Made two appearances and one start in Cactus League action last season, allowing one run in 2.2 innings...Also participated in the Royals’ Postseason Camp at Kauffman Stadium in October.
2019
Opened the year with Wilmington (A+), but missed two months of action with a left forearm strain (June 8-Aug. 13)…made five rehab starts with Surprise (Rookie) and Burlington (Rookie)...In 20 combined starts, went 6-2 with a 2.99 ERA (32 ER in 96.1 IP) and 96 strikeouts (8.97 K/9)...Named a Carolina League midseason All-Star, but did not pitch due to injury...Tabbed Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on May 26, after making three-straight scoreless starts…his 22.0-inning scoreless streak stretched from May 8-25, before allowing a first-inning run to Fayetteville on June 1...Fanned a season-high nine hitters in his May 15 outing (7.0 IP) vs. Frederick, earning a 1-0 triumph…also matched that total in just 5.0 innings on Aug. 24 vs. Down East...Suffered a pair of Game 1 setbacks in the Carolina League playoffs, including a 3-1 loss to Fayetteville in the championship series…surrendered two runs on four hits and four walks, with seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings...Named a “Rising Star” in the Arizona Fall League, pitching for Surprise…went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA (6 ER in 14.0 IP) and 19 strikeouts (12.21 K/9) in his four starts.
2018
Made a combined 12 starts at Burlington and Lexington (A) in his first professional season…went 5-1 with a 1.58 ERA (9 ER in 51.1 IP) and 61 strikeouts, compared to 8 walks (7.63 K/BB)…his ERA and 1.4 BB/9 were both second-best among KC farmhands (min. 50.0 IP)...Named Burlington Pitcher of the Month in June, pitching to a 2.84 ERA (2 ER in 6.1 IP) in his two starts...Started Game 3 win over Lakewood in the South Atlantic League Championship Series, allowing two unearned runs over 4.0 innings.
