Royals' James McArthur: Dealing with Grade 1 UCL sprain
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McArthur, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, was diagnosed with a Grade 1 UCL sprain in his right elbow and will be shut down from throwing for 5-to-7 days, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The 27-year-old won't be able to return before the end of the regular season, but manager Matt Quatraro is hopeful a playoff return is possible. That's likely an optimistic outlook for a UCL injury, but for now, McArthur has yet to be fully ruled out for 2024.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Back in big leagues
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The Royals recalled Cruz from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
He'll provide the Royals with a healthy reliever after James McArthur (elbow) went down. Cruz has three scoreless appearances during his time in the majors in 2024.
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Royals' James McArthur: Goes on IL with sprained elbow
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The Royals placed McArthur on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow sprain.
A sprain indicates that he is dealing with ligament damage, although there's no word yet regarding the possibility of surgery. McArthur won't be eligible to return before the end of the season and also seems unlikely to be back for the postseason even if surgery isn't required. The former closer posted just a 6.87 ERA in the second half.
Long (3-2) allowed three runs on three hits and struck out one over two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Monday versus the Tigers.
Long allowed a two-run double to Wenceel Perez in the sixth inning, and John Schreiber allowed an inherited runner to score the decisive run, which stuck Long with the loss. While he's generally been steady this year, Long has faded in September, allowing five runs over seven innings this month. The southpaw is now at a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 38:16 K:BB with one save and six holds through 38.1 innings this season.
Witt went 2-for-5 with a grand slam, an additional RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Tigers.
Witt opened the scoring with a grand slam in the third inning and then recorded his 200th hit of the season on an RBI single in the fifth. According to MLB.com, the shortstop is the third player in Royals' history to reach that milestone in his age-24 season or younger. On the year, he is hitting .332 with 32 homers, 108 RBI, 122 runs scored and 29 steals across 666 plate appearances.
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Royals' Seth Lugo: Can't escape fifth in no-decision
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Lugo did not factor into the decision in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Tigers, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 4.2 innings.
Lugo entered the fifth frame with a 5-1 lead but was pulled after yielding four hits and three runs, including a two-run homer by Colt Keith. The 34-year-old had surrendered just two earned runs over three consecutive seven-inning efforts, but he has also yielded four earned runs or more in five of his past 10 outings. On the season, he owns a 3.05 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 173:47 K:BB across 197.2 innings and will try to eclipse the 200-inning mark for the first time in his career against the Giants this weekend.
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Royals' James McArthur: Diagnosed with elbow tightness
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McArthur exited Monday's game against Detroit due to right elbow tightness.
McArthur initially appeared to suffer an injury to his right hand on a play at first base, but the team has since revealed that he was forced from the game due to an elbow issue. He'll be considered day-to-day until more information on the issue comes to light.
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Royals' James McArthur: Exits with trainer
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McArthur left Monday's game against the Tigers with a right hand injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
McArthur appeared to suffer the injury while covering first base, and he would later leave the game with the team trainer after facing one more batter. The severity of his injury is unknown at this time.
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Royals' Paul DeJong: Losing out on playing time
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DeJong is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
DeJong looks to have lost hold of a regular spot in the Kansas City infield, as he'll hit the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher (Reese Olson) for the fourth time in the last five games. Adam Frazier will enter the lineup at third base in place of DeJong, who is getting on base at a .154 clip with a 30.8 percent strikeout rate since the start of September.
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Royals' Freddy Fermin: On bench Monday
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Fermin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Fermin will be on the bench for the second day in a row, but he should be a semi-regular presence in the lineup over the final two weeks of the season while the Royals give veteran catcher Salvador Perez time off behind the plate and deploy him at first base or designated hitter. Though he's mustered an underwhelming .505 OPS thus far in September, Fermin has been a near-league-average hitter (101 wRC+) with a .286/.335/.387 slash line over 344 plate appearances for the season.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Gaining foothold in lineup
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Frazier will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers.
Frazier will remain in the lineup for a fifth consecutive game, with the versatile 32-year-old having picked up two starts at third base and right field and one at designated hitter during that stretch. He's mustered just two hits in 12 at-bats with one walk over the previous four contests, so Frazier's run as an everyday player could soon come to an end if he fails to get going at the dish.
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Royals' Hunter Harvey: Resumes playing catch
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Harvey (back) resumed playing catch last week but remains without a clear timeline for returning from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.
After landing on the IL on Aug. 10 with mid-back tightness, Harvey was cleared to resume throwing off a mound three weeks later, but he was shut down from throwing for a week after he didn't respond as well as hoped to the bullpen session. The Royals haven't indicated that Harvey has experienced any setbacks since he started playing catch, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to get back on the mound in the coming days. Before being deactivated, Harvey had accrued a 4.44 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 55:16 K:BB across 50.2 innings while notching two wins, one save and 28 holds in 49 relief appearances between the Royals and Nationals on the season.
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Royals' Will Smith: Throwing, but timeline uncertain
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Smith recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions, but he's still experiencing back tightness and is without a clear timeline for a return from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.
Smith had been contending with back issues for several weeks before the Royals placed him on the IL on Aug. 26. Though it's encouraging that Smith hasn't been shut down from throwing, he'll likely need the soreness in his back to subside a bit more before the Royals are comfortable bringing him back. It's unclear if Smith has a legitimate chance at being activated before the regular season ends Sept. 29.
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Royals' Michael Lorenzen: Gets to fourth inning in rehab start
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Lorenzen (hamstring) struck out four and allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks over 3.1 innings in his rehab start Friday with Triple-A Omaha.
Lorenzen took the hill for Omaha on two days' rest after opening his rehab assignment with a 1.2-inning appearance for Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday. According to MLB.com, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday that Lorenzen felt more soreness than usual in his most recent rehab outing, so he'll be re-examined in Kansas City this week before the club determines his next step. Alec Marsh has been filling in as the Royals' No. 5 starter while Lorenzen has been on the shelf with a left hamstring strain.
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Royals' Josh Taylor: Shifts rehab to Triple-A
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Taylor (bicep) moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday and made a one-inning appearance against Toledo, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk.
Taylor moved his rehab to Triple-A after he gave up one unearned run across three innings over his three appearances at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The lefty reliever has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a left bicep nerve injury, but he looks poised to make his 2024 debut for the Royals at some point over the final two weeks of the campaign.
Singer (9-11) took the loss Sunday against Pittsburgh, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks across five innings. He struck out six.
Singer's four walks marked a season high, and he failed to complete six innings for a third consecutive outing. The 27-year-old has a 5.40 ERA and a 1-5 record across his last eight starts (43.1 innings). Singer is tentatively scheduled to face the Giants in Kansas City next weekend.
