The Royals got a little better news on the injury front Monday night, with Maikel Garcia set to begin a rehab assignment in Double-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Garcia has been out since June 23 because of a nagging hand injury, and Kansas City is finally moving him toward a return. The All-Star third baseman’s bat has never quite looked right this season. After his breakout 2025 campaign and his World Baseball Classic MVP performance in March, he’s been much quieter at the plate, hitting .261/.320/.373 with three home runs, 20 RBI and a 92 wRC+.
Even so, his glove has stayed sharp. Garcia has been a standout at third base with 6 DRS, 4 OAA and 4 FRV, and he’s also held his own in limited time at shortstop, where he has 1 DRS, 1 OAA and 1 FRV.
Kyle Isbel is also moving along in his rehab work, and the Royals are not rushing him. The Omaha Storm Chasers announced Tuesday that Isbel will continue his rehab assignment with them at least for that night. Kansas City still needs to see more before bringing the center fielder back onto the active roster.
In five games with Triple-A Omaha, Isbel has looked good offensively, batting .267/.353/.533 with three RBI, three extra-base hits, an 11.8% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate. He’s also posted a 121 wRC+.
Kansas City has pieced together the outfield without him, with Jac Caglianone and Isaac Collins helping fill the gap, along with Lane Thomas, who has looked worth the Royals’ offseason gamble. But with Thomas seeming more and more likely to be on the move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, getting Isbel back would give the club another center field option as it tries to get to the finish line.
The bad news came on the pitching side, where Beck Way landed on the 15-day injured list before Tuesday’s game in Minnesota with lower back spasms and tightness.
Way had already reached the majors because of bullpen injuries, and he’d given Kansas City a useful arm in a flexible relief role. The 26-year-old right-hander owns a 3.86 ERA, though his 1.59 WHIP and .287 BAA show he’s had to work through traffic.
His IL move opens the door for Easton McGee to make his Royals debut after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this month. McGee has struggled in Omaha, where he has a 9.00 ERA in six innings, but he has also struck out 10.50 batters per nine there and threw a pair of scoreless big league outings with the Brewers before they designated him for assignment.
In Other News...
Royals Deadline Plans Suddenly Come Down To One Costly Contract
The trade deadline always brings out the same uncomfortable math, and for Kansas City it may be less about adding help than making room for it. Even with the club still well short of the luxury tax line, the Royals could find themselves needing to trim money before they can spend it, a reminder that payroll flexibility can matter just as much as contention when August 3 gets closer.
One name sits at the center of that squeeze: Seth Lugo, whose contract carries real weight for a team trying to keep its options open. At 36, Lugo is owed $21.5 million in 2027 and comes with a conditional club option for 2028, which makes him a far heavier financial commitment than Michael Wacha, the more valuable of the Royals two veteran starters. If Kansas City decides it has to move salary to create maneuverability, Lugo is the contract that could define how far the front office is willing to go. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Just Made A Familiar Bullpen Bet Fans Know Too Well
The Royals added another arm to a bullpen mix that has long rewarded low-cost bets, sending 2025 10th-round pick Max Martin to Houston for Nate Pearson after the Astros designated him for assignment. Pearson brings the kind of raw stuff teams keep circling back to, with velocity and a still-lingering sense of upside, even as command problems have followed him through stops that have made him more intriguing than dependable.
Kansas City is clearly hoping its pitching group can get more out of Pearson in relief than other clubs have been able to. He already made his Royals debut on July 26, working a scoreless inning with a walk, and the next step is the part that has defined his career for too long: turning the tools into strikes and the strikes into something the Royals can actually count on. [Read more 🡒]