KANSAS CITY -- Carlos Estévez is scheduled to undergo right shoulder surgery next week, Royals manager Matt Quatraro revealed on Tuesday, ending the reliever’s season and very likely his time with Kansas City.
Estévez hasn’t pitched since March, placed on the injured list in early April with first a left foot contusion after an unforgettable first appearance of the season on March 29, when he blew a save against the Braves on Dominic Smith’s walk-off grand slam. That was after a spring of decreased velocity and lack of control, which was alarming for the right-handed reliever the Royals were going to rely on as their closer again. Estévez spent all of 2025 in that role and led MLB in saves (42).
As Estévez was rehabbing his foot, he strained his right rotator cuff and experienced multiple setbacks throughout the summer as he tried to come back from that. He began a mound progression at the beginning of August and was facing hitters in Arizona by the end of the month, but another setback had him back to square one. The injury, along with the velocity never finding its way back, ultimately led to Estévez scheduling surgery.
What exactly the surgery will entail is not yet known.
“It’s going to be somewhat exploratory,” Quatraro said. “They don’t know exactly what they’ll end up doing when they go in there. He and we have exhausted the whole rehab process. He’s tried everything he can, and it just wasn’t responding.”
Estévez’s two-year, $22.2 million contract that he signed ahead of 2025 includes a $13 million club option for ‘27, which the Royals are all but certain to decline this offseason, instead paying the $2 million buyout. That will end Estévez’s time with Kansas City with a 3.66 ERA across parts of two seasons and an All-Star appearance in 2025.
“He’s missed the entire year trying to chase this thing down and finally ends up needing surgery,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “I’m more disappointed for him. We realized a couple of weeks ago that we were probably not going to see him in 2026. It’s been a void for us from Day One. You hate to see guys go through surgeries, in this case, it’ll be a shoulder surgery. But it’s something guys are faced with. You just want the best for him on the other end of it.”
September callups
After reliever John Schreiber was claimed off waivers by the Yankees on Monday, the Royals had two pitcher roster spots, as well as an open position player spot, with rosters expanding on Tuesday. They called up relievers Easton McGee and Nolan Hoffman, as well as outfielder Drew Waters, to fill them.
This is McGee’s second stint with the club after he allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings from July 28-Aug. 10. The Royals are getting their first look at Hoffman, whom they acquired from the Phillies on Aug. 3. With Triple-A Omaha, the righty allowed five runs in 8 2/3 innings but struck out 14. He pitches from a lower arm slot -- not unlike Schreiber -- and will likely be used a lot in right-on-right matchups. Hoffman is a Lincoln, Neb., native and attended the same high school as Royals Hall of Famer Alex Gordon.
“This is an opportunity for us to get a look at some guys that hopefully are a part of the future,” Quatraro said.
Waters was a bit of a surprise addition, added to the 40-man roster on Tuesday after spending the entire year in Triple-A with a .251/.312/.420 slash line and 17 stolen bases. But the Royals will likely need to make another move on Wednesday with Michael Massey’s return from the 7-day concussion injured list, which factored into Waters being the callup. And they felt the switch-hitter fit in better with the roster with all of the left-handed-hitting outfielders the Royals have already on the active roster.