Monday afternoon brings the Arizona Diamondbacks to Kauffman Stadium for the first of three games, and the Kansas City Royals will hand the ball to Noah Cameron at 1:10 p.m. Central against a club still fighting for a playoff spot.
The Royals are 64-80 after beating Toronto 6-1 on Sunday, and this series closes a nine-game homestand that has gone 2-4.
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Cameron was named American League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA in five starts, while his season line is 9-8 with a 4.08 ERA.
The stretch included a one-hit complete game against the Angels that left Matt Quatraro praising his lefty, and the Royals want that version in September.
Arizona arrives at 76-68, a half game ahead of San Diego for the last National League wild card spot, so the Royals get to play spoiler.
Derek Law is listed as the Arizona starter, with Michael Wacha and Daniel Lynch IV lined up for Tuesday and Wednesday nights before an off day and a weekend trip to Boston.
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Surgery Day for the Closer
Tuesday is the day Carlos Estévez is scheduled for right shoulder surgery, according to the Royals injury page at MLB.com, and it ends a season in which he recorded one out.
A year ago he saved 42 games with a 2.45 ERA and made the All-Star team, but he hurt his foot in his first outing of 2026 and strained his right rotator cuff while rehabbing it.
He was facing hitters in Arizona late last month, which looked like real progress before another setback pushed the club toward surgery.
Quatraro was straightforward last week.
“It’s going to be somewhat exploratory. 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,” Quatraro said.
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His deal has a $13 million club option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout, and Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported the Royals are all but certain to decline it.
The Caglianone Plan
Jac Caglianone’s week is the other to watch.
He left Saturday’s game after a throw from right field, imaging showed a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow, and Quatraro said the club would see how it feels by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The hope is to keep him off the injured list, and a stretch at designated hitter is possible before he goes back to the field.
He leads the team with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs and was the AL Player of the Month for August, when he kept grinding out big nights at the plate.
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The Roster Decisions
The active roster is at the 28-man limit, and the only transaction since Michael Massey came off the concussion list on Sept. 2 is Drew Waters going outright to Omaha on Friday.
Maikel Garcia is running at 80 percent and has not ruled out a late September return, per Matt Quatraro, and Tony Gonsolin has made two rehab starts for Omaha, so any activation forces another move.
With nothing left to chase in the standings, the smart play is patience with Caglianone and a long look at Cameron.
Cameron, Matt Quatraro, Noah Cameron, Royals, Michael Massey, Quatraro, Caglianone, Michael Wacha, afternoon, American League Pitcher
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