Jonathan Sanchez said Thursday he’s ready to help the Kansas City Royals get back to the playoffs.

The longtime San Francisco Giants left-hander was dealt to the Royals earlier this week along with a minor league pitcher for outfielder Melky Cabrera. Sanchez visited Kauffman Stadium Thursday morning, chatting with team officials and meeting with members of the media.

Sanchez said he’s been the subject of trade rumors since reaching the big leagues in 2006 and knew that he’d be sent somewhere else eventually. He’s happy to land with the Royals, who are considered a franchise on the rise.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Luke Hochevar has made his final start of the season, the third Kansas City Royals starter to be shut down in September.

Manager Ned Yost said Thursday that Hochevar — who has thrown a career-high 198 innings, 90 more than last season when he missed 2 1/2 months with an elbow injury — would not pitch again this year for “his protection and his health.”

Hochevar finished 11-11 with a 4.88 ERA.

Yost said left-hander Jeff Francis’ start Thursday night against the Chicago White Sox would be his last this season. Rookie left-hander Danny Duffy was shut down after a Sept. 6 start because of his workload.

Right-handers Luis Mendoza and Vin Mazzaro, who are pitching for Triple-A Omaha in the PCL championship series, will likely move into the Kansas City rotation.

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — Judging strictly by the spring-training stats, the Kansas City Royals are the team to beat in the American League.

The long-woeful Royals had a better record — 20-10-1 — than anyone in the exhibition season and scored more runs — 230 — than any other team in the Cactus League.

But they’re also the franchise that has just one winning season in the past 17 years and will launch the year against the Los Angeles Angels today with five rookies, including four in the bullpen, and an opening-day starter who’s never experienced a winning season.

Nevertheless, Manager Ned Yost cannot help but be encouraged.

“We, as a club, swang the bats really, really well,” Yost said yesterday as workers, bundled against the cold, scurried around getting Kauffman Stadium ready for the first pitch.

The Royals’ payroll of $38.5 million is the lowest in the majors and one reason they’re not expected to finish much better than last again in the American League Central. In place of 2009 Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, who was traded to Milwaukee, the Royals will open their season with right-hander Luke Hochevar. The right-hander was 6-6 last year with a 4.81 ERA.

One of the more interesting aspects of the 2011 Royals will be youth. Between the rotation and All-Star reliever Joakim Soria will be four bullpen rookies: former Missouri ace Aaron Crow, Nate Adcock, Jeremy Jeffress and left-hander Tim Collins.

When his young team got its first look at Kauffman Stadium, Yost could see the anticipation in their eyes.

“You definitely saw the excitement. It was real evident when we got here last night,” he said.

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