September 9 to pitch six innings against the Minnesota Twins. Injuries limited Kennedy to only 22 starts for the year, in which he went 3–9 with a 4.66 ERA and struck out 105 batters in innings. The injuries that Kennedy had suffered in 2018 worried the Royals, who moved him into the bullpen to start the 2019 MLB season, believing that the decreased innings workload would help Kennedy stay healthy through the season. Kennedy himself was hesitant to make the change, believing that he was capable of another year in the starting rotation, but he ultimately had a successful stint as the Royals' closer. On July 28, Kennedy recorded his 20th save of the year, becoming the sixth pitcher since saves were recorded in 1969 to compile 20 wins and 20 saves in the same season. For the period between May 30 and September 23, Kennedy led MLB with 28 saves, including 19 after the All-Star break, and he noticed a physical improvement to becoming a reliever, in contrast to feeling "like you get hit by a truck every fifth day" as a starting pitcher. Kennedy posted a 3–2 record and a 3.41 ERA for the season, striking out 73 batters in innings and successfully converting 30 saves in 34 opportunities. Upon learning that the 2020 MLB season would be shortened to 60 regular-season games as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Royals manager Mike Matheny decided not to assign any permanent roles like closer or setup man for his bullpen. Instead, he left the option open for dominant relievers like Kennedy to enter games in earlier innings if he believed that they were in a position to change the course of the game. On August 15, Kennedy made his first starting appearance since 2018, pitching the first two innings of a bullpen game against the Minnesota Twins. At the end of the month, he was placed on the injured list when he suffered a left calf strain in the ninth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox. Kennedy attempted to field a ground ball but began limping afterwards and had to be removed from the game. The injury limited Kennedy to only 15 appearances during the truncated season, during which he posted a 9.00 ERA and a 1.786 WHIP. Texas Rangers (2021) On February 23, 2021, Kennedy signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, a deal