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Sept. 17: RHP James McArthur (right elbow sprain) placed on 15-day injured list; RHP Steven Cruz recalled from Triple-A Omaha
After exiting Monday's series-opening loss to the Tigers with a trainer in the seventh inning, McArthur was placed on the 15-day IL ahead of Tuesday's game with a right elbow sprain. He described tightness in his elbow during the outing and further imaging revealed a Grade 1 UCL sprain, which was as low severity as the Royals could have hoped for given the injury is in his elbow.

McArthur will be shut down for the next five to seven days in hopes of being ready for the postseason. The righty reliever got off to a good start in 2024 but has struggled in the second half, posting a 6.87 ERA post All-Star break.

"Talking with other pitchers on the team that have had the same thing, I think it's just a small shutdown period, and then we'll go day to day on how I'm feeling throwing after that," McArthur said. "The goal for me is to just be back and available, ready for October so we can go win the World Series."

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

RHP James McArthur (right elbow sprain)
Expected return: October
McArthur exited his outing against the Tigers on Sept. 16 with right elbow tightness, and further imaging the next day showed a Grade 1 UCL sprain, leading to an IL stint for the righty reliever. He'll be shut down for five to seven days with the hope of ramping back up for the postseason. McArthur has struggled in the second half, posting a 6.87 ERA post All-Star break, but the Royals had been relying on him for big outs in the bullpen. (Last updated: Sept. 17)

RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: Late September
Lorenzen strained his hamstring on Aug. 27 against the Guardians while covering first base and stretching to try to complete a double play. He stayed in the game and struck out Lane Thomas, but the right-hander left after that. An MRI on Aug. 28 confirmed a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and the Royals placed Lorenzen on the 15-day IL.

Lorenzen made his second rehab start on Sept. 13 with Triple-A Omaha, allowing one run in 3 1/3 innings on two hits and two walks with four strikeouts, but he exited in the fourth inning with a trainer. He felt more soreness than was usual after the outing, according to manager Matt Quatraro, but Lorenzen has made good progress since then. Barring any setbacks in the next couple of days, Lorenzen is scheduled for a live BP session on Sept. 21. (Last updated: Sept. 17)

LHP Will Smith (low back spasms)
Expected return: October
Smith had been dealing with back issues for a few weeks prior to the Royals placing him on the IL on Aug. 26. He had been trying to pitch through it, but it was directly impacting him on the mound. The spasms got worse after throwing back-to-back days against the Phillies on Aug. 24 and 25, when he allowed seven combined runs across two innings.

Smith has been throwing, including a few bullpen sessions, but it's taken him a while to be symptom free. Barring any setbacks over the next couple of days, he's scheduled for a live BP session on Sept. 21. (Last updated: Sept. 17)

RHP Hunter Harvey (mid-back tightness)
Expected return: Late September
Harvey has been on the 15-day IL since Aug. 10, retroactive to Aug. 7, after he felt something pull in his back during his normal pregame routine earlier that week. He suffered a setback in his rehab program on Aug. 20 when he had to receive a cortisone injection because his back wasn't loosening up as much as he or the Royals would have liked to see at that point.

Harvey threw a bullpen on Sept. 1 and "did not bounce back well" from it the next day, manager Matt Quatraro said, with symptoms returning following the bullpen. Since then, Harvey's throwing program has been scheduled on a day-to-day basis based on how he feels. When he has played catch, the symptoms return the following day. His timeline for a return is unclear, especially with the regular season winding down, but if he is able to ramp up, the Royals don't feel like it will take long for him to get back in pitching shape again. (Last updated: Sept. 16)

RHP Chris Stratton (right forearm flexor strain)
Expected return: Potentially October
Stratton had been dealing with forearm soreness for "a couple of months," according to manager Matt Quatraro, when the Royals eventually placed him on the 15-day IL with a flexor strain on Sept. 14. Stratton had been struggling with results and was trying to pitch through it until the soreness got worse while the Royals were in Pittsburgh. Further imaging showed a Grade 1 flexor strain, and Stratton will be shut down for at least the next week. (Last updated: Sept. 16)

1B Vinnie Pasquantino (right thumb fracture)
Expected return: October
Pasquantino broke his right thumb while reaching for a wild throw at first base on Aug. 29 in Houston, with Yainer Diaz running into his gloved hand and immediately fracturing the bone. The Royals' first baseman will be sidelined for six to eight weeks as the bone heals, according to the team, meaning he's likely unavailable for the remainder of the regular season. Pasquantino said he's going to do "everything I can" to be ready for the postseason. He had surgery on Sept. 3, thus beginning the rehab process. (Last updated: Sept. 3) More >>

60-DAY INJURED LIST

LHP Josh Taylor (left arm/biceps nerve injury)
Expected return: September
Taylor felt soreness when he was warming up for his Cactus League outing on March 17 and was shut down afterward with left biceps soreness. The lefty reliever was diagnosed with a musculocutaneous nerve injury and transferred to the 60-day IL in April. Taylor was shut down for a while and did not begin throwing until July.

He began a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sept. 7 and transferred to Triple-A Omaha on Sept. 15. The Royals will take his game progression slowly given how much time he has had off, but the club is optimistic about seeing him on the mound. (Last updated: Sept. 16)

RHP Kyle Wright (right shoulder surgery)
Expected return: 2025
The Royals traded for Wright in November in exchange for Jackson Kowar knowing Wright was coming off shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. They made the move thinking ahead a year, foreseeing how Wright, who will be 29 in '25, could help after he led the Majors with 21 wins and posted a 3.19 ERA in '22.

Pitchers who have this procedure typically take a year to return, and Wright is rehabbing in Kansas City and remains on track to have a normal, non-rehabbing offseason later this year. (Last updated: Aug. 5)

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