The Royals outrighted Little to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
Little was claimed off waivers by the Royals in August but never pitched for them at the major-league level. The lefty reliever has collected a 2.97 ERA over parts of four seasons in the majors, but he's also got a 1.40 WHIP and 17.6 percent walk rate. Little will remain in the organization as bullpen depth.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Shifts to restricted list
Rotowire
The Royals transferred Cruz (personal) from the paternity list to the restricted list Sunday.
After going on paternity leave Thursday, Cruz spent the maximum three days on the list. Rather than having Cruz return for the season finale Sunday versus the Guardians, the Royals instead shifted him to the restricted list, which opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for James McArthur (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Cruz finished the 2026 season with a 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 65:20 K:BB in 58.2 innings and will likely be added back to the 40-man roster this offseason.
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Royals' Ben Kudrna: Back at full strength
Rotowire
Kudrna (elbow) was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday.
Kudrna has made a full recovery after undergoing olecranon stress fracture fixation surgery in late April. He made one appearance at Triple-A Omaha before landing on the IL, surrendering two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out two over two frames April 5 against Buffalo.
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Royals' Jac Caglianone: Finishes campaign strong
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Caglianone went 2-for-4 with a double in Sunday's win over the Guardians.
Caglianone didn't drive in a run or score, but he did record his sixth multi-hit effort over his past seven games, going 14-for-28 (.500) during that stretch. The 23-year-old broke out in a big way in 2026, shaking off a disappointing rookie campaign in 2025 to live up to his lofty prospect pedigree. On the year, Caglianone will finish with a .289/.340/.494 slash line, 23 homers, 75 RBI, 72 runs and seven stolen bases in 143 contests.
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Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Smacks two homers in win
Rotowire
Pasquantino went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Guardians.
Pasquantino twice gave the Royals a lead, going deep in the fifth and eighth innings. While injuries and lackluster performances defined parts of the season for Pasquantino, he finished strong with eight homers over 23 games in September. The first baseman hit .249 with a .761 OPS, 17 homers, 63 RBI, 54 runs scored, 20 doubles, two triples and five stolen bases over 114 contests in 2026.
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Royals' Lucas Erceg: Picks up 13th save
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Erceg allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Guardians.
Erceg closed out the season with five scoreless innings, earning a save and a hold over five appearances in that span. He had spent a month in Triple-A after giving up 14 runs (11 earned) over 10.2 innings in July and August. Erceg finishes the campaign with a 5.59 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 34:32 K:BB across 48.1 innings in the majors. He added 13 saves, five holds and six blown saves.
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Royals' Daniel Lynch: Decent work in no-decision
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Lynch allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Guardians on Sunday.
Lynch made his last 10 appearances of the season as a starter, but he had some struggles. He allowed nine home runs over 40 innings in those games while posting a 6.53 ERA in a starting role. Overall, he finished the campaign at a 6-6 record, 4.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 56:26 K:BB through 86 innings over 56 appearances. Lynch's success out of the bullpen compared to his poor showings as a starter could make it tough for him to stick in the rotation in future seasons.
The Royals activated McArthur (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Sunday.
McArthur began the year on the shelf and ultimately required a third elbow procedure in May to combat continued soreness and inflammation in the region. If he ends up pitching in Sunday's season finale for Kansas City, it will be McArthur's first big-league appearance since 2024.
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Royals' Tony Gonsolin: Lands on IL
Rotowire
The Royals placed Gonsolin on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to an allergic reaction.
James McArthur (elbow) was reinstated to take Gonsolin's spot on the active roster for the final day of the regular season. Gonsolin spent most of the year on the mend from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, returning for a lone big-league appearance Sept. 22, when he allowed five runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings against the White Sox.
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Royals' Carter Jensen: Heading to bench for finale
Rotowire
Jensen is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Maikel Garcia will get a turn atop the order as Luke Maile catches and Salvador Perez serves as the designated hitter to close out the regular season for Kansas City. Jensen currently sits seventh among fantasy catchers in traditional rotisserie leagues, having slashed .239/.323/.467 with 27 homers, 81 RBI, 80 runs scored and two stolen bases in 149 games this season.
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Royals' Jac Caglianone: Drives in two runs Saturday
Rotowire
Caglianone went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Guardians.
Caglianone laced a pair of doubles, one in the first inning and another in the eighth frame, each of which brought in a run. The 23-year-old is closing the season strong, going 12-for-24 (.500) with five RBI, six runs and a stolen base over his past six contests. On the year, Caglianone is hitting .287/.339/.492 with 23 homers, 75 RBI, 72 runs and seven stolen bases in 142 games.
Witt went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Guardians.
Witt stole second base and came around to score in the first inning before scoring another run in the eighth. The superstar has hit safely in each of his past eight contests, swiping three bags and crossing the plate 10 times in that span. For the year, he's slashing .283/.361/.444 with 18 homers, 54 RBI, 94 runs scored and 45 steals across 628 plate appearances.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Takes loss in season finale
Rotowire
Wacha (9-10) took the loss against the Guardians on Saturday, allowing six runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts over 6.1 innings.
Wacha was spotted an early lead but instantly coughed it up, allowing four runs in the second inning following a leadoff error. The veteran hurler still posted a quality start for the third time in five September outings, finishing the season having tallied five or more innings in 31 of 32 starts. Overall, he'll wrap up the campaign with a 3.32 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 158:54 K:BB while surpassing 200 frames for the first time in his 14-year career.
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Royals' Kyle Isbel: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Isbel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.
The Royals will keep Isbel on the bench Saturday following his 1-for-3 performance during Friday's high-scoring loss. Isaac Collins, John Rave and Jac Caglianone will start across the outfield while Isbel rests.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Garcia isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Guardians.
Garcia will sit out Kansas City's penultimate game of the season after going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored Friday. Josh Rojas will fill in at third base and bat eighth.
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Royals' Matthew Lugo: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Royals recalled Lugo from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Lugo will join the Royals for their final few regular-season contests to replace Nick Loftin, who went on the paternity list Saturday. Lugo has recorded just two hits in 14 at-bats with Kansas City this year and isn't likely to have much of an impact on the team's final two games.
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Royals' Nick Loftin: Away on paternity leave
Rotowire
The Royals placed Loftin on the paternity list Saturday.
Loftin will be away from the team while welcoming a new addition to his family, and his move to the paternity list will likely end his season early. The 28-year-old surpassed 100 games played in a season for the first time this year and slashed .240/.322/.388 with eight homers, 45 RBI and 42 runs scored while doing so.
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