The loudest headline in the Royals’ system this week came out of Quad Cities, where the River Bandits didn’t just sweep Wisconsin - they capped it with a combined no-hitter on Sunday.
Kendry Chourio set the tone by working 5 innings and allowing only 2 walks while striking out 10. Emmanuel Reyes finished it off with the final 4 innings and three strikeouts.
Reyes has quietly put together a strong season of his own, even if the attention around Quad Cities has mostly centered on him, Chourio and David Shields. The 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic has logged 82.2 innings over 16 starts, with Sunday marking his first non-start of the year.
He’s sitting on a 3.70 ERA with 69 strikeouts.
Shields also turned in a sharp outing Saturday, going 5 innings, giving up 2 hits, no runs and striking out 4. At the plate, Blake Mitchell went 5 for 10 with two doubles and a homer, Derlin Figueroa was 4 for 13 with a triple and a homer, and Luke Pelzer finished 5 for 13 with a double and a triple. Quad Cities has now won 11 of its last 13 and heads to Beloit for a series Tuesday through Sunday.
Elsewhere, Omaha kept rolling by sweeping its three-game set against Lehigh Valley and has now won four straight. Kameron Misner was the biggest bat in the lineup, going 5 for 12 with a double, triple and homer while driving in three. Andrew Velazquez added a 4-for-10 weekend with a double and two RBIs, and Matthew Lugo chipped in 3 hits in 12 at-bats with a double and triple.
The pitching side brought both good news and bad news. Stephen Kolek lasted 2.2 innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 runs while striking out 3 before leaving with a right flexor strain.
Mason Black followed with 5.1 innings of one-run ball, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 7 in his lone start of the weekend. Justin Topa added two more scoreless innings in relief.
Omaha now hits the road to face Salt Lake from Tuesday through Sunday.
Northwest Arkansas took two of three from Midland, and Drew Beam kept building his case with another solid start. He worked 6 innings, allowed 6 hits and 2 runs, walked 2 and struck out 4.
Dennis Colleran delivered two scoreless innings in relief, and Chase Jessee added 3 scoreless frames with 5 strikeouts. Jessee, a 27-year-old lefty, was signed by the Royals to a minor league deal last November out of the Mexican Pacific League.
At the plate, Omar Hernandez went 5 for 10 with a double and a walk-off homer. Hernandez is a 24-year-old catcher from Cuba.
Carson Roccaforte also came through with a walk-off hit and finished the series 4 for 14 with two homers. The Naturals stay home this week for Springfield, with that series also running Tuesday through Sunday.
Columbia split the difference with Charleston by taking two of three, and Josh Hammond was the big story offensively. He went 10 for 14 on the series, including a 5-for-5 game, and four of those hits were doubles. Yandel Ricardo added a 7-for-11 weekend with a triple and a homer, while Sean Gamble went 4 for 10.
On the mound, Henson Leal threw two scoreless relief innings and struck out two. The 22-year-old right-hander from Venezuela got support from Darwin Rodriguez, who went 6 innings and allowed 2 hits and 1 run while striking out 5.
Shane Van Dam closed the week with 4 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and 4 strikeouts. Van Dam, a 22-year-old right-hander from North Carolina State, was selected by the Royals in the 9th round of the 2025 draft.
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For a club already navigating injuries to Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Carlos Estvez, Stephen Kolek and Kyle Isbel, every new health concern lands with extra weight. Caglianone has been part of the lineups energy and upside, so any issue involving his shoulder will be watched closely as the Royals wait to see how he responds. [Read more 🡒]
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Lane Thomas Is Creating A Royals Deadline Dilemma Fast
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For a Royals club expected to weigh multiple moves, that surge creates a real dilemma. Thomass recent production and left-handed bat make him a more attractive piece for contenders, while Kansas City also has other outfield options it could lean on if it decides to listen on him. The question now is whether the Royals treat his hot streak as a reason to keep pushing, or as the sort of window that can bring back something useful in return. [Read more 🡒]