It's safe to say Kendry Chourio is finding his rhythm at High-A.
The Royals' No. 1 prospect tied his career high with 10 strikeouts over five innings as High-A Quad Cities no-hit Wisconsin in Sunday's 11-0 victory at Modern Woodmen Park. Chourio also fanned 10 one month earlier, but completely dominated in his latest outing.
MLB’s No. 65 prospect quickly set the tone in the first inning with two punchouts in a 14-pitch inning. After a 1-2-3 second, Chourio struck out eight of the final 12 batters he faced, including fanning the side in order in the third and while working around some base traffic in the fifth.
The 18-year-old's K total included three prospects ranked in the Brewers’ Top 30— Luis Peña (No. 2/MLB No. 18), No. 12 Braylon Payne (who went down swinging twice) and MIL No. 22 Eric Bitonti.
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After Chourio’s departure, right-hander Emmanuel Reyes followed with four perfect frames, striking out three, to cap off the River Bandits' first no-hitter since 2021.
Blake Mitchell (KC No. 4) not only backstopped the no-hitter, but also contributed offensively with his 17th homer of the season on a 2-for-4 day.
Chourio’s arsenal generated a 46.1 percent whiff rate (18 swings-and-misses on 39 total swings). The pitch that MLB's No. 9 right-handed pitching prospect turned to most often, though, was his 60-grade fastball. The four-seamer was responsible for eight of his 10 strikeouts and topped out at 98 mph.
After allowing five runs in his first High-A start on June 19 (which was also when he set his career high of 10 strikeouts), Chourio has rebounded nicely over his past four outings, posting an 0.90 ERA, 9.45 K/9 while holding opposing hitters to a .347 OPS over 20 innings.
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In 72 2/3 combined innings between Single-A and High-A, opposing batters are hitting a minuscule .188 with only 20 extra-base hits against Chourio. Among qualified arms in the Royals' system, he ranks first in ERA (2.11), WHIP (0.87) and slugging percentage (.307).
The native of Venezuela signed with the Royals as an international free agent in 2025 and received a bonus of $247,500. Soon after signing, he dominated the Dominican Summer League and eventually finished the year in Single-A Columbia. This year, he's building an impressive resume as he continues to climb toward Kansas City.