The injuries continue to pile up for Maikel Garcia. Less than a week after he returned to action, Garcia is back on the Injured List with a hamstring strain. He exited yesterday’s game against the Athletics after he injured himself rounding third base in the first inning. Outfielder Matthew Lugo was called up from Omaha to replace him on the roster.
Lugo was claimed off waivers from the Angels on June 2. He appeared in 31 games with them in 2025, hitting .232/.243/.464 with four home runs. He was hitting .265/.350/.473
with 14 HR in 100 games across Double-A and Triple-A for both the Angels and Royals organizations. The right-handed hitting outfielder is capable of playing all three outfield positions, and he is the nephew of former Royals outfielder Carlos Beltrán.
Garcia had just returned to action on Monday after missing nearly two months with a hand injury. It has been a tough season for the 26-year-old infielder who signed a five-year contract extension last winter. When healthy, he has been league-average hitter, batting .269/.324/.385, and his plus defense at third has made him a 2 WAR player in just 73 games. Nick Loftin has filled in most of the time at third base in Garcia’s absence.
The Royals also optioned pitcher Carlos Durán and recalled pitcher Jose Cuas from Omaha. Durán walked three and allowed two hits in 1.1 innings over two outings this week. Cuas had a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings before being demoted earlier this week.
