Kris Bubic had a setback in his rehab.
“He will not make his start on Sunday,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His forearm feels good (but) his shoulder didn’t respond as well to the previous start. So he is going to see a doctor sometime this weekend, and we’ll know more at that point.”
Seth Lugo is on the 7-day Injured List with a concussion, writes Drew Davison.
“He felt a little bit worse today than yesterday, so we’re going to put him on the concussion [IL],” manager Matt Quatraro said.
Quatraro
said Lugo has been battling “just a normal headache” that took time to come on.
“Just pressure, swelling,” Quatraro said. “There’s a good amount there. Pressure is going up a little bit.”
Jaylon Thompson writes how Jac Caglianone has regained his confidence after a tough first year.
It was a steep decline from his minor-league numbers. The Royals knew Caglianone would be a work in progress. It just took him time to realize it for himself.
“I took the offseason to really get the mental right,” Caglianone said. “Wasn’t in the best headspace, but, you know, speaking with some psychs and stuff, (I was) finding new pathways to compartmentalize some things. Figuring where to grow, what are the strengths and all that type of stuff played a big role in it.”
David Lesky is impressed with Caglianone lately.
Jac Caglianone is hotter than he’s ever been in his big league career. I actually thought it was hotter than any hitter the Royals have had since Witt in 2024 went on that insane run, but there are two who were hotter last year, surprisingly. He had four hits on Wednesday and then two more yesterday. Even with a shoulder issue baked in that caused him to miss a game, Caglianone is now hitting .452/.531/.714 since the start of the last road trip. That 12-game stretch (that does include one at bat before he left in Minneapolis) with a 1.245 OPS is literally one point higher than Witt’s best stretch this season.
Some others who have had a 1.200 OPS or higher in a 12-game stretch with at least 40 plate appearances recently include Mike Yastrzemski last year, and both Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez had stretches with a higher OPS than Caglianone’s right now at some point last year. Actually, one of Yastrzemski’s was a bit higher, too. I know that sounds like I might be downplaying Caglianone, but I’m expressing legitimate surprise that the Royals have had 12-game stretches this hot this recently. Either way, it’s an incredible development that he just continues to hit.
Russell Dorsey at Yahoo Sports ranks Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo among the top trade chips for the deadline.
If there’s one thing both Wacha and Lugo have brought to the Royals’ rotation over the past three seasons, it’s consistency. Wacha (4-4, 3.44 ERA) and Lugo (2-4, 3.91 ERA) have been two of the American League’s best starters in recent years, and with both having one more year of club control after this season, they could be intriguing targets for teams looking for rotation help for this season and next.
Kansas City‘s moves the past few seasons have not worked out the way the team had hoped. But starting pitching has been an area of strength for the Royals lately. Moving one or both of their better arms could be the key to injecting some much-needed life into both the farm system and the big-league roster, while knowing the rotation has quality arms such as Cole Ragans and Noah Cameron to build around in the future.
Yirsandy Rodríguez at Royals Keep wonders when we will see the Isaac Collins that performed in Milwaukee.
Craig Brown recaps the Rangers series finale and Kyle Isbel’s injury.
Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski strikes out 15 in a one-hit, complete game gem.
The White Sox trade Derek Hill to the Phillies and acquire Nolan Jones from Colorado.
Mark Feinsand at MLB.com looks at potential trade candidates.
Aroldis Chapman says if the Yankees want him, they need to apologize.
How would a salary cap work in baseball?
Who are the disappointing players and teams that should start to panic?
Who are the best contact hitters in the game?
The Astros are interested in outfield and bullpen upgrades.
MLB is investigating Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache after reports he supplied PEDs to UFC star Conor McGregor.
Longtime MLB broadcaster John Sanders, who grew up in Kansas and worked in Kansas City, dies at age 83.
The U.S. Men’s National Team has their biggest margin of victory in the World Cup since 1930.
Was the Knicks Game 4 comeback one of the greatest in sports history?
Humans prefer to walk counter-clockwise, but scientists aren’t sure why.
Forbes declares Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.
A ranking of post-break-up Beatles collaborations.
Your song of the day is Chuck Berry with You Never Can Tell.
