Kansas City Royals Inactives

Estevez began throwing in bridge league games at the Royals' complex in Arizona last week but wasn't making much progress, so the team will shut him down for the season, and the right-hander will go under the knife to address his strained rotator cuff. The 33-year-old appeared in just one game for the Royals this year, during which he gave up six earned runs while recording just one out. Kansas City is likely to decline his $13 million club option for next season.

It was unknown what type of procedure Ragans would need when the Royals announced last weekend that he was scheduled for surgery. Now confirmed to have undergone UCL repair surgery, the 28-year-old southpaw will officially miss the remainder of the season and is likely to remain out until midway through the 2027 campaign. He'll close the book on 2026 after putting up a 4.84 ERA and 1.42 WHIP alongside a 45:23 K:BB through 35.1 innings over eight starts.

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The 24-year-old was placed on the injured list Sunday due to forearm tightness, but further evaluation apparently revealed a torn UCL. Avila will miss the rest of this year and is also likely to be sidelined for the full 2027 season. He made 21 appearances (12 starts) for Kansas City prior to the injury and had a 5.53 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 61:42 K:BB over 70 innings this season. Avila will likely be shifted to the 60-day injured list in the near future.

Mears has been sidelined since May 29 due to a right shoulder impingement and dealt with multiple setbacks during his rehab, including a right lat strain revealed in mid-July. After progressing to mound work, the right-hander experienced renewed discomfort last week, with subsequent testing revealing thoracic outlet syndrome. Mears will finish his injury-marred first season with the Royals having posted a 5.12 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 15:11 K:BB across 19.1 innings.

The right-hander headed for a second opinion on his strained right forearm last week and is now set to go under the knife. The full scope of the procedure isn't clear, but if it's standard Tommy John surgery, Kolek will miss the rest of the season and will likely be sidelined for the entirety of the 2027 campaign.

By rule, Cruz will miss the next 1-to-3 games while welcoming a new baby, so he should be back for Sunday's season finale, at minimum. Cruz has registered three of the past four saves for the Royals, which includes his eighth save of the season in Wednesday's win over the White Sox. While Cruz is away, the Royals could turn to Nate Pearson for save chances.

Spence's move to the IL represents yet another hit to the Royals' starting pitching depth, as the organization has already lost Cole Ragans, Stephen Kolek, Luinder Avila, Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending elbow surgeries. The 28-year-old righty has been part of the Royals' 40-man roster throughout the 2026 campaign, logging a 5.35 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 16 starts with Omaha and yielding 22 earned runs in 9.1 innings over three appearances at the big-league level.

Bergert was removed from his start at Triple-A Omaha on April 7 due to an elbow injury, and after receiving a second opinion, he ultimately decided to go under the knife to address the issue. The Royals didn't give a timeline for the right-hander's return, but he'll almost certainly miss the rest of the 2026 campaign.