​Royals captain Salvador Perez missed Thursday night’s lineup with elbow soreness, triggering a flurry of roster adjustments. Luke Maile was added to the 40-man roster and recalled from Triple-A Omaha to provide catching depth if something happened to Carter Jensen or if the Royals needed another catcher during the game. In corresponding moves, outfielder John Rave was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and reliever Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment to clear 40-man space for Maile. The Royals also activated Stephen Kolek from the family medical emergency list to start Thursday against the Rays and optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Omaha.
In other injury news, Cole Ragans underwent UCL surgery and is out for 10-12 months. The operation, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, repaired Ragans’ left elbow on Wednesday, with the team now projecting a mid-2027 return. The exact scope of the surgery was only determined during the procedure, but the Royals had anticipated a UCL-related issue and did not expect Ragans to be back on the mound in 2026.
Kendry Chourio and Blake Mitchell will participate in this season’s Futures Game. Chourio has quickly risen since signing with the Royals, and after a promotion to Quad Cities last month, he is the only 18-year-old pitcher in High-A this season, and the first since Eury Pérez in 2021. His fastball sits around 96 mph, complemented by an upper-70s curve and an upper-80s changeup. Mitchell, a Three True Outcomes specialty with 13 homers, a 24.5% walk rate, and a 35.2% strikeout rate in 68 High-A Quad Cities games, was the 2023 eighth overall pick with a strong arm behind the plate he could showcase in Philadelphia.
Here are some former Royals performing well this year: Michael Wacha and Jac Caglianone were named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month for June; Brayan Rocchio delivered a walk-off two-run homer against the White Sox in a battle for the AL Central lead; Julio Rodríguez left Seattle’s game after taking a thrown ball off the helmet on a double-play ball. ESPN analyst Matt Miller is under investigation by the Missouri attorney general following a car crash last month. And here is your song of the day: Africa by Toto,.