Maikel Garcia is finally on the verge of getting back into game action, and the Kansas City Royals are setting up a careful ramp-up for their third baseman.
Garcia is expected to begin a rehab assignment Thursday night with Triple-A Omaha after being out with a left-hamstring strain. The injury happened Aug. 20 against the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium, when Garcia pulled up limping while trying to round third base.
Over the past several weeks, he’s worked with the training staff, gradually increasing his activity and running the bases earlier in the homestand. Now the Royals are ready to see how the hamstring holds up in live play.
“He’ll start tomorrow and play five innings,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “And DH the next day and have a day off. And we’ll reevaluate.”
Garcia’s season has been interrupted over and over. He’s batting .269 with three home runs and 32 RBIs, but the bigger story has been the injuries. The 2025 All-Star missed a significant stretch with a muscle strain in his left hand, and earlier in the year he also dealt with a Grade 1 right-hamstring strain.
Those absences opened the door for others at third base. Nick Loftin handled the spot well, while Josh Rojas also saw time there in bursts. Even so, Garcia remains the club’s first choice at the position.
Kansas City signed Garcia to a five-year, $57.5 million extension last December after he won a Gold Glove and put together a career year in 2025. The Royals are now hoping the rest of this season gives him a chance to settle back in and finish healthy.
“It would certainly be nice,” Quatraro said. “Yeah, healthy regardless, whether it’s here or not.
Just to be healthy going into the offseason is huge. But it would be great to get him back out there.”
The Royals are also sending right-hander James McArthur out on a rehab assignment as he tries to make his own way back from a long injury path. McArthur will pitch for Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.
His road back has been complicated. McArthur has had multiple surgeries in recent years, and this season he battled right-elbow inflammation after recovering from an olecranon fracture.
Before the 2025 season, he had two screws inserted to stabilize the fracture, then later learned he was allergic to the metal. The screws were removed, he began a throwing program, and then the elbow inflammation surfaced.
Kansas City will keep a close eye on him during the rehab stint, with the hope that he can eventually factor into the 2027 bullpen mix.
“I couldn’t be happier for somebody,” Quatraro said. “What he’s been through and how long it’s been for him to get back on the mound competitively.
The attitude he’s kept, the work ethic, the drive, he’s incredible. You know, I’m really happy for him that he’s going to get back out there.
I hope it all goes really well. We know what he can mean to this team at some point and hopefully we can get that back.”
McArthur saved 18 games for the Royals in 2024 and has a 4.84 ERA in 75 games with the organization.
The Royals also announced that right-handed pitcher Connor Seabold will begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
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For a club trying to keep its roster moving through the grind of the season, those are the kinds of updates that matter even before anyone returns. Each of the three has been working back from injuries that cut into his time this year, and the next step now is simple enough on paper: get into games, handle the workload, and show the Royals they are nearing a place where reinforcements can actually be considered. [Read more 🡒]