A replay reversal in Kansas City turned a routine-looking balk into a run for the Marlins and sent Royals manager Matt Quatraro into a heated argument that ended with his second ejection of the season.
The sequence came in a 1-0 count against Jac Caglianone, who could very likely be the August American League Player of the Month. Vodnik stepped off the mound, but his right cleat caught the edge of the rubber as he moved, causing a slight stumble. He then stepped to the bottom of the mound to reset.
First-base umpire Nestor Ceja called a balk, and Jensen jogged home with the run.
“I saw him kind of step off, and I saw the top of his foot hit the rubber before he stepped off,” Jensen said. “I didn’t hear anybody say anything, so I kind of turned my back.
And then Vance told me it was a balk. I was thinking in my mind, ‘I thought that was a balk,’ but I didn’t hear it at first.”
The call did not stand, though, and Quatraro was ejected while arguing the reversal. It was his ninth career ejection.
“I think my frustration was just more that it seemed like they were looking for a reason to overturn it when that call doesn’t usually come from second base or home plate - just because of the nature of the balk itself,” Quatraro said post. “I was just more frustrated at where it was in the game and what a big spot it was.”
Elsewhere on the pitching front, Noah Cameron’s work since July has drawn attention from FanGraphs’ Corbin Young. Cameron has posted a 2.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 3.13 xERA over that stretch, though his 12.9% K-BB and 4.18 SIERA suggest some good fortune may be in the mix. His fastball usage has kept drifting downward, and in August he has thrown his four-seamer just 16.8% of the time while leaning more on his slider, at 20.7%, and his changeup, at 21.1%.
The Royals also got a tough update on closer Carlos Estévez, who will undergo shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 campaign.
“It’s going to be somewhat exploratory,” Quatraro said. “They don’t know what they will end up doing when they go in there.
We have exhausted the full rehab process. He’s tried everything that he can and it just wasn’t responding.”
Among the broader Royals-related notes, Yirsandy Rodriguez at Royals Keep wrote about the adjustments helping Nate Pearson, while former Royals reliever Carlos Hernández revealed he was texting before a career-threatening car crash in Venezuela. The Dodgers activated catcher Will Smith, and the Padres called up 20-year-old rookie catcher Ethan Salas.
There were also league-wide items tied to September and the stretch run, including a look at the strength of schedule for remaining contenders, the most important players for contending teams in September, a breakdown of each team’s September callups, and Dan Szymborski’s take that preseason projections still matter. The Rookie of the Year races were also revisited, while the biggest takeaways from the Chiefs’ 53-man roster drew attention on the football side.
Outside the Royals beat, the news cycle also included Arte Moreno selling the Angels for $4 billion to Stan Kroenke, the Missouri Supreme Court potentially deciding the fate of the state’s stadium-funding law, and Dave Helling’s questions about the downtown ballpark project and the unanswered details around its impact area and public hearing. Other items noted a verbal gaffe by White Sox broadcaster John Schriffe, Bill Simmons being under investigation for proxy betting, and Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton being suspended pending an investigation over an airline incident.
In Other News...
Royals Bring Back A Familiar Name With His Future Still Unclear
The Royals used the roster expansion to add some familiar depth, recalling right-handers Nolan Hoffman and Easton McGee while also selecting the contract of outfielder Drew Waters. For Kansas City, the move gives the club a little more flexibility as the season enters its final stretch, and Waters is set to provide bench help or emergency coverage in the outfield.
Waters return comes with his place on the roster still very much in flux. He has already exhausted his options and had been designated for assignment before clearing waivers, so the Royals are not bringing him back with a long runway, especially after a stint in which his offense and defense both fell short of league average. For now, he fits as a useful extra body, but the bigger question is how long he can hold that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Just Lost A Bullpen Piece They Planned To Build Around
Carlos Estvezs season is over before it really got going, and the Royals are now bracing for the reality that his time in Kansas City may be finished, too. The right-hander is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery next week after a frustrating run of injuries wiped out his season and kept him from delivering the kind of bullpen help the Royals envisioned when they brought him in.
Estvez had not pitched since March, first dealing with a left foot contusion before a right rotator cuff strain added to the setback, and his velocity never fully came back during rehab. While the club moved ahead with its September roster additions by bringing up relievers Easton McGee and Nolan Hoffman along with outfielder Drew Waters, the loss of a bullpen arm they had planned to build around leaves another hole to manage as the season winds down. [Read more 🡒]
Jac Caglianone Is Forcing A Big Royals Question
Jac Caglianones rise has become one of the more important developments in Kansas Citys season. After struggling through 2025 and the early part of 2026, he caught fire in June, when he mashed nine home runs and posted a 1.036 OPS, enough to earn a spot in the leagues Home Run Derby and remind everyone why his bat has been so closely watched.
By late August, the numbers had backed up the breakout, with 23 home runs and an .832 OPS on the season. The bigger intrigue for the Royals is what comes next, because the improved plate discipline and elite exit velocity suggest this isnt just a hot stretch but a possible long-term answer in the middle of their lineup. [Read more 🡒]