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Noah Cameron Noah Cameron Expected to pitch after opener
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 10:05 PM
Cameron will not start Friday's contest, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Analysis: Cameron is expected to pitch after opener Beck Way during Friday's matchup, though it is unclear if he will immediately follow Way. Cameron has started all 19 of his appearances with Kansas City this season, but he has struggled to a 7.97 ERA and 1.97 WHIP over his last seven outings, and the team may be trying to shake things up to get the southpaw back on track. |
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Beck Way Beck Way Set to operate as opener
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 9:55 PM
Way will operate as the Royals' opening pitcher Friday against the Tigers, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star
Analysis: Way will make his first major-league start after posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 21 strikeouts over 22.1 innings in 18 appearances with the Royals so far this season. The right-hander will likely be limited to no more than two innings on the mound, and southpaw Noah Cameron is expected to pitch in the contest in some capacity after Way's departure. |
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Randy Dobnak Randy Dobnak Making second start
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 4:06 PM
Dobnak is slated to start Thursday's game against the Tigers in Detroit.
Analysis: Dobnak will be making his second straight appearance as a starter, but he's effectively receiving a third turn through the rotation after covering 5.2 innings in bulk relief in the outing prior to his last start. Overall, the 31-year-old righty owns a 1.93 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 7:8 K:BB in 14 innings across three appearances for Kansas City since being called up from Triple-A Omaha on July 1. He should have a decent amount of leash in the rotation after Stephen Kolek (forearm) recently joined Kris Bubic (elbow/shoulder) on the 60-day injured list. |
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Tyler Tolbert Tyler Tolbert On bench Thursday
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 2:31 PM
Tolbert isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Detroit.
Analysis: Tolbert looked to be next in line to start at shortstop after Bobby Witt (back) landed on the injured list Wednesday, but the former will miss out on the starting nine for a second straight game Thursday in favor of Andrew Velazquez. |
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Jac Caglianone Jac Caglianone Sitting again Thursday
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 2:28 PM
Caglianone (shoulder) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.
Analysis: Caglianone will now miss a second consecutive start after injuring his shoulder while making a diving attempt in the outfield during Tuesday's contest. Nick Loftin will start in right field and bat eighth while Caglianone takes another day to recover. |
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Salvador Perez Salvador Perez Ties franchise HR record
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 9:24 AM
Perez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Giants.
Analysis: The future Hall of Famer sparked a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning when he took Landen Roupp deep for his 14th homer of the season. Perez is up to 317 long balls for his career, tying George Brett for the all-time Royals record. Per Anne Rogers of MLB.com, he's the third active player to hold his team's franchise HR record, along with the Angels' Mike Trout and the Padres' Manny Machado. Perez could soon take sole possession of first place in the Kansas City record book -- he's gone yard three times in the last five games, and through 15 contests in July he's produced a .273/.349/.564 slash line with four doubles, four homers, seven runs and 13 RBI. |
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Steven Cruz Steven Cruz Snags first career save
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 9:19 AM
Cruz struck out one and served up a solo home run in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his first career save in a 5-4 win over the Giants.
Analysis: With Alex Lange having worked the prior two days, Cruz got the call in the ninth and got the job done, although he was taken deep by Casey Schmitt to make things interesting. Cruz has been scored upon just twice in his last 13 appearances, both times on solo shots, and over that stretch the right-hander has a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB in 13 innings. |
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Seth Lugo Seth Lugo Collects fourth win
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 9:15 AM
Lugo (4-6) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks over seven innings in a 5-4 victory over the Giants. He struck out five.
Analysis: The veteran right-hander delivered his second straight quality start and 12th of the season on 94 pitches (63 strikes), and Lugo got rewarded for his efforts when Kansas City erupted for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The win was Lugo's first since June 19, and over five starts and 27.1 innings in July he's managed a 4.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB. He'll look to build on his recent success in his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Minnesota. |
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Alejo Lopez Alejo Lopez Nets minors pact with Kansas City
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 8:27 AM
The Royals signed Lopez to a minor-league contract Wednesday.
Analysis: Lopez will backfill the Royals' organizational middle-infield depth after Andrew Velazquez was called up to grab Bobby Witt's (back) roster spot. The 30-year-old Lopez had been at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, where he slashed .302/.379/.419 with two home runs and a 13:10 BB:K in 43 games. He hasn't played in the majors since 2023. |
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Kyle Isbel Kyle Isbel Kicks off rehab assignment
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 1:35 PM
Isbel (foot) went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and a run scored with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Analysis: Isbel led off and played three innings in center field during his first rehab game after landing on the injured list June 10 with a Grade 3 tear of a portion of his left plantar fascia. Returning to game action is a notable step in the right direction, though how the 29-year-old's foot responds throughout the rehab assignment will determine when he's ready to return to the big-league club. Before hitting the shelf, Isbel slashed .244/.298/.354 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 16 runs and five stolen bases across 56 games. |
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Kameron Misner Kameron Misner Booted from 40-man roster
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:53 AM
The Royals designated Misner for assignment Wednesday.
Analysis: The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Nate Pearson. Misner has slashed just .206/.259/.312 with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate across parts of three major-league seasons, but the 28-year-old could draw interest via waivers from a team seeking outfield depth. |
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Nate Pearson Nate Pearson Traded to Kansas City
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:46 AM
The Royals acquired Pearson from the Astros on Wednesday in exchange for Max Martin.
Analysis: Pearson had been designated for assignment by Houston, but he will now join a 40-man roster in a new organization. The hard-throwing righty holds a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 16:12 K:BB in 20 innings in the majors this season. Pearson does not have any minor-league options remaining, so he will join the Royals' bullpen. |
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Tyler Tolbert Tyler Tolbert Back on bench Wednesday
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:22 AM
Tolbert is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Analysis: Tolbert filled in at shortstop for an injured Bobby Witt (back) during Tuesday's 3-2 win, going 0-for-3 while committing an error. Though Witt was moved to the 10-day injured list Wednesday, the Royals will instead go with new call-up Andrew Velazquez at shortstop over Tolbert in the series finale. Given that Tolbert has produced an excellent .328/.364/.443 slash line over 69 plate appearances on the season, he could still be a better bet than Velazquez to serve as Witt's primary replacement for the duration of his IL stint. |
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Josh Rojas Josh Rojas Gaining playing time at 3B
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:18 AM
Rojas will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Analysis: Rojas will cover third base for the third time in the past four games and could be making a push past Nick Loftin on the depth chart as the top option at the position while Maikel Garcia (hand) remains on the shelf. Over his last five contests, Rojas has gone 6-for-17 with a double, two runs and an RBI, but he's slashing an unremarkable .237/.256/.368 overall since being promoted from Triple-A Omaha on June 23. |
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Nick Loftin Nick Loftin Sitting out Wednesday
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:16 AM
Loftin is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Giants.
Analysis: Loftin has been seeing the bulk of the reps at third base since Maikel Garcia (hand) went down, but he'll take a seat in the series finale. Josh Rojas is at the hot corner for the Royals. |
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Andrew Velazquez Andrew Velazquez Back in big leagues
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:14 AM
The Royals selected Velazquez's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Royals' series finale versus the Giants.
Analysis: The 32-year-old utility player will return to the majors for the first time since the 2023 season, when he appeared in 54 games with the Angels. Velazquez has played both middle-infield positions and all three outfield spots during his time in the minors with the Royals and Diamondbacks organizations this season, but he could end up seeing most of his playing time at shortstop while he's up with Kansas City. He'll enter the starting nine right away at shortstop in place of Bobby Witt (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Along with Velazquez, Tyler Tolbert will also be in the mix for reps at shortstop while Witt is on the shelf. |
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Stephen Kolek Stephen Kolek Shifts to 60-day IL
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:05 AM
The Royals transferred Kolek (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
Analysis: Kolek made his most recent appearance for the Royals on July 2 before landing on the family medical emergency list a couple of days later. The right-hander was able to make a rehab start at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, but he emerged from that outing with a right forearm strain and was moved to the Royals' 15-day injured list. Though Kolek remains without a clear timeline for a return while he weighs his treatment options for the injury, the Royals' decision to shift him to the 60-day injured list will keep him out until at least September. The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Andrew Velazquez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A. |
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Jac Caglianone Jac Caglianone Not in Wednesday's lineup
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 10:03 AM
Caglianone (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Giants.
Analysis: Caglianone injured his right shoulder on a diving attempt in the outfield during Tuesday's game. There's no word yet on the severity of the injury, but it's a good sign he wasn't placed on the injured list prior to Wednesday's contest. Consider Caglianone day-to-day for now. Starling Marte will play right field for the Royals in Wednesday's series finale. |
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Bobby Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr. Heads to IL with back tightness
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 9:59 AM
The Royals placed Witt on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to low back tightness.
Analysis: The durable Witt will go on the IL for the first time in his five-year career in the majors after he was held out of the lineup for Sunday's loss to the Padres due to the back issue and then aggravated the injury while returning to the starting nine for Monday's win over the Giants. The Royals haven't indicated that Witt's injury is any sort of long-term concern, so if he responds well to a week and a half of rest, he could be ready to come off the shelf when first eligible July 31. Tyler Tolbert and Andrew Velazquez are likely to share time at shortstop while Witt is out. |
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Carter Jensen Carter Jensen Belts 14th homer
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 2:21 AM
Jensen went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Giants.
Analysis: Jensen opened the scoring by taking Tyler Mahle deep for a solo shot in the third inning, giving him 14 home runs on the season. The catcher has stayed productive since the All-Star break, going 7-for-21 (.333) with five extra-base hits over his first five games of the second half. Across 94 games this season, Jensen is slashing .242/.309/.436. |
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