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Cole Ragans Cole Ragans Sent to 60-day IL
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 6:51 PM
The Royals transferred Ragans (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Analysis: On the 15-day IL since May 8 due to an elbow impingement, Ragans' experienced a setback Friday that will sideline him until at least the second week of July. Before going down with the elbow issue, the left-hander posted a 4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 45:23 K:BB across 35.1 innings. |
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Randy Dobnak Randy Dobnak Traded to Kansas City
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 5:26 PM
The Mariners traded Dobnak to Kansas City on Wednesday, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Analysis: Dobnak spent his 2026 season with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before being dealt to the Royals. With Tacoma, the 31-year-old posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 39:24 K:BB across 70 innings. Dobnak will join Kansas City's 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Omaha. |
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John Rave John Rave Pops first homer in Wednesday's win
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 5:22 PM
Rave went 2-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Nationals.
Analysis: The second-inning long ball off Zack Littell was Rave's first of the season in the majors, while the three-bagger was his first in the majors in his 74th career game. Rave got the called up over the weekend to supply outfield depth while Kyle Isbel (foot) and Vinnie Pasquantino (hand) are on the shelf, but performances like this could earn the 28-year-old more playing time against right-handed pitching. Through 60 games with Triple-A Omaha prior to his promotion, Rave was slashing .278/.395/.475 with 10 homers and 16 steals. |
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Carter Jensen Carter Jensen Huge day in Wednesday's win
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 5:18 PM
Jensen went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Nationals.
Analysis: The 22-year-old backstop set the tone for the afternoon when he drove the fourth pitch he saw from Zack Littell over the fence in the right-field corner, the first of four long balls by Kansas City. It was the first four-hit performance of Jensen's career, and it extended his current hit streak to nine games, a stretch in which he's batting .361 (13-for-36) with five doubles, two homers, seven runs and nine RBI. Wednesday's steal was also his first in the majors in his 88th game, but Jensen's flashed some base-stealing acumen in the minors, going 10-for-11 on steal attempts over 103 games last season and 17-for-20 over 124 games in 2024. |
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Luinder Avila Luinder Avila Bounces back for second win
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 5:13 PM
Avila (2-3) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings in a 6-2 victory over the Nationals. He struck out five.
Analysis: The right-hander got chased in the first inning by the Astros in his last trip to the mound, but Avila shook off that disaster and came one out shy of recording his first career quality start, tossing 59 of 91 pitches for strikes before being lifted when he ran into trouble in the sixth. Since moving into the rotation at the beginning of June, Avila has posted a 6.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB in 16.1 innings over four starts. He'll look to build on Wednesday's performance in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Tampa Bay. |
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Kameron Misner Kameron Misner Taking seat Wednesday
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:56 AM
Misner is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Since being called up from Triple-A Omaha a week ago, Misner has drawn starts in five of the Royals' ensuing eight games, going 6-for-16 with a walk, a stolen base and three RBI. Though he'll head to the bench Wednesday, the Royals should be able to make regular room in the outfield for both Misner and Lane Thomas while Kyle Isbel (foot) and Vinnie Pasquantino (hand) are on the injured list. |
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Maikel Garcia Maikel Garcia Not starting due to hand injury
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 8:48 AM
Garcia (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Garcia will miss out on at least one start after he exited Tuesday's 6-4 loss after five innings due to soreness in his left hand. Though Garcia looked to have suffered the injury during a swing on his final at-bat of the evening, he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com on Wednesday that the hand has been a recurring issue since the Royals' series with the Cardinals a month ago. Garcia noted that he typically feels pain only when he hits foul balls rather than making direct contact, and the expectation is that he'll continue to play through the lingering discomfort. Nick Loftin will draw the start at third base in place of Garcia in the series finale in Washington and will bat eighth. |
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Bobby Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr. On base four times Tuesday
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 8:39 AM
Witt went 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Nationals.
Analysis: The star shortstop stayed ahead of Nasim Nunez in the other dugout to keep hold of the major-league steals lead with 27. Witt has three multi-hit effort in the last four games, and through 15 contests in June he's slashing .305/.414/.373 with four doubles, zero homers, three RBI, 10 runs and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. |
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Michael Wacha Michael Wacha Settles for quality start Tuesday
Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 8:33 AM
Wacha didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Royals, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.
Analysis: The veteran righty didn't get much run support early and left the mound after 90 pitches (65 strikes) headed for his sixth loss of the season, but Wacha got bailed out when Kansas City tied it up in the top of the seventh inning. The quality start was his 10th of the season, marking the fourth straight campaign in which he's reached double digits, but he's had a bumpy beginning to June, posting a 5.30 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB in 18.2 innings over three starts. Wacha will look for his first win since May 9 in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Tampa Bay. |
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Maikel Garcia Maikel Garcia Makes early departure
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 7:30 PM
Garcia was removed from Tuesday's game against the Nationals with an apparent hand injury, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Analysis: Garcia's hand looked to be bothering him during his final plate appearance in the fourth inning, and the Royals eventually pulled him for a pinch hitter in the sixth. The severity of his injury is unknown, but the Royals should provide more information after the game. |
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Seth Lugo Seth Lugo Poised to start Friday
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 4:45 PM
Lugo (concussion) is expected to be reinstated from the 7-day injured list to start Friday against the Nationals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: The right-hander landed on the shelf after being struck in the head by a comebacker during his June 10 start against Texas, but his stay on the injured list won't be a long one. Lugo felt good after recently throwing a bullpen session and shouldn't face any notable limitations in his first start back given the brevity of the absence. |
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Cole Ragans Cole Ragans Getting another opinion
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 4:38 PM
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Ragans remains shut down from throwing while continuing to experience elbow symptoms, and the left-hander will be evaluated by another doctor later this week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Ragans had a throwing session halted Friday since his arm wasn't feeling great, and it appears there still isn't a clear explanation for what he's currently dealing with. The 28-year-old landed on the injured list in early May due to pitcher's elbow. Ragans' status should be updated within the next few days as he continues to be evaluated. |
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Seth Lugo Seth Lugo Continuing to throw since IL move
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 12:50 PM
Lugo (concussion) has continued to take part in a throwing progression since being placed on the 7-day injured list Friday, MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Though a CT scan came back clean after Lugo was forced out of his start last Wednesday against the Rangers when he was struck in the head by a line drive, the Royals deactivated him a couple days later after he developed a headache. Since he's not being shut down from throwing, Lugo seems to be making good progress in his recovery, but he'll still need to clear all phases of the concussion protocol before the Royals activate him. Lugo would appear to have a chance at being ready to make a start at some point during the Royals' upcoming three-game series with the Cardinals that runs from Thursday through Sunday. |
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Mitch Spence Mitch Spence Sent to Triple-A
Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 12:11 PM
The Royals optioned Spence to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Analysis: The 28-year-old was called up to make a spot start Monday against the Nationals, and he'll return to Omaha after surrendering six runs across four innings. Spencer has given up six runs in both of his big-league appearances this season and has also struggled to a 6.54 ERA across 42.2 innings at Triple-A. |
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Mitch Spence Mitch Spence Flops in spot start
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 9:48 PM
Spence (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Nationals, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out one.
Analysis: Making his first major-league start of 2026, Spence was mostly ineffective Monday. The 28-year-old right-hander has now given up six runs in four innings during both of his big-league outings this year, posting a 4:6 K:BB in the process. It's possible that Seth Lugo (concussion) will be ready to come off the injured list and take his next turn in Kansas City's rotation versus the Cardinals over the weekend, so Spence could soon be heading back to Triple-A Omaha following a spot start. |
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Steven Zobac Steven Zobac Back in action
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 7:40 PM
Zobac (knee) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday.
Analysis: Zobac began the season on the minor-league IL due to a knee injury. He looked sharp in the Arizona Complex League while ramping back up, cruising to a 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with a 14:3 K:BB across 11.1 frames. Zobac was activated over the weekend and made his first appearance at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks while striking out two over 2.1 innings. |
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Advancing to High-A
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 2:28 PM
The Royals promoted Chourio from Single-A Columbia to High-A Quad Cities on Monday.
Analysis: Chourio was one of the top performing pitchers in the Carolina League through the first two-plus months of the season, despite being much younger than most of his peers at just 18 years old. He rode a mid-90s fastball and a pair of strong secondary offerings to a 1.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB in 48 innings, with his dominance earning him a bump up to High-A. With a strong finish to the season at Quad Cities, Chourio could be in position to open the 2027 campaign at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and put himself on the radar for a big-league debut later next summer. |
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Kameron Misner Kameron Misner Sitting against southpaw
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 2:10 PM
Misner is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: Though he'll head to the bench for the series opener in Washington while the left-handed Andrew Alvarez toes the rubber for the Nationals, Misner should be in line for an extended look as a strong-side platoon player while Kyle Isbel (foot) and Vinnie Pasquantino (hand) are on the shelf. Misner started in each of the last four games while the Royals faced right-handed pitchers, going 6-for-12 with a walk, a stolen base and three RBI over those contests. |
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Michael Massey Michael Massey Heading to bench against lefty
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 2:07 PM
Massey is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
Analysis: The Royals will send the left-handed-hitting Massey to the bench while southpaw Andrew Alvarez takes the hill for Washington. Nick Loftin will step in at second base in place of Massey, who went 4-for-15 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs while starting the past four games. |
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Mitch Spence Mitch Spence Recalled before Monday's start
Mon, Jun 15, 2026, 1:37 PM
The Royals recalled Spence from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
Analysis: Spence will get the start Monday on the road against the Nationals. The right-hander permitted six runs over four innings in his lone appearance in the majors this season and has turned in a 6.54 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Omaha. Spence could earn additional turns in the rotation if things go well Monday. |
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