Royals vs Reds

Estevez made his first rehab appearance in the minors Wednesday as part of his recovery from a left foot injury, but he was removed after just two-thirds of an inning after displaying diminished velocity. Now that he's been officially diagnosed with a strained rotator cuff, the Royals will shut him down from throwing for three weeks before reevaluating him, at which point he may be cleared to restart a throwing program. Lucas Erceg will continue to work as Kansas City's go-to closer while Estevez is out.

Ragans has been sidelined since May 6 with an elbow impingement but has been throwing bullpen sessions for the past week. He's now ready to face live hitters in a game setting and shouldn't need more than one or two rehab starts before rejoining the Royals' rotation. The left-hander has a 4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 45:23 K:BB across 35.1 innings this season. Ragans has elite swing-and-miss stuff but his 15.2 percent walk rate is in just the sixth percentile, while opponents also have a sky-high 15.7 percent barrel rate against Ragans.

India hasn't played since April 18 and was placed on the injured list eight days ago due to a shoulder subluxation. After further testing, India required season-ending surgery. The 29-year-old's 2026 campaign ends with a .167/.310/.313 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored and an 8:13 BB:K across 58 trips to the plate. It's been a disappointing two years for India in Kansas City after posting career-low numbers in 2025. Michael Massey and Nick Loftin should continue to see most of the reps at second base for the Royals.

Bubic has handed a 1-0 lead before he took the mound but gave that up quickly when he surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The left-hander pitched a clean second but then gave up three runs across the following two frames before being lifted. The five runs he allowed tied a season-worst mark in what turned out to be his shortest outing of the season. Bubic has given up one or zero runs in four of his nine starts, but he's also yielded four or more runs three times. Altogether, he's posted a mediocre 4.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP along with a 51:26 K:BB over 50.1 innings on the season.

Strahm was placed on the injured list Saturday after patellar tendinitis flared up during his outing Friday. While a formal recovery timeline hasn't been established, the southpaw plans to keep his arm in shape as much as possible while rehabbing his knee back to full strength. Before being shelved, Strahm logged 16.1 innings with a 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB in 2026.

The transaction clears space on the 40-man roster for the addition of Tejay Antone, who was called up from Triple-A Louisville. Williamson landed on the 15-day IL last week with left shoulder fatigue and now won't be eligible for activation until late June.

Ferguson, who also threw Thursday, worked on back-to-back days for the Bats, which is typically a final box to be checked off for a reliever before coming off the injured list. The left-hander has made four appearances combined between Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga. The Reds' bullpen has fallen apart in May (8.47 ERA) and could use Ferguson as soon as possible.

Naturally, Pagan is eager to return, but we've seen plenty of setbacks from players trying to return from muscle injuries like this one. The Reds' bullpen has been cratering without Pagan, so the Reds will have to straddle their desire to get him back, his desire to return and his need to fully heal.

Suarez's recovery from a left oblique strain has come along more slowly than anticipated, but he's finally progressed to the point of being cleared to play in games. The veteran slugger has been sidelined for nearly a month, so he will likely need a handful of rehab contests before rejoining the Reds' active roster.

It will be his first time throwing off the mound since he underwent surgery in mid-March to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Greene will eventually progress to facing hitters and then go out on a rehab assignment. The Reds don't expect Greene to return before July, but more will be known about a timeline after he gets deeper into his throwing progression.

It's the least severe diagnosis Trevino could have hoped for, but he will still require longer than a minimum absence. P.J. Higgins will back up Tyler Stephenson at catcher for the Reds while Trevino is shelved.

Hayes appears to have faded into more of a part-time role for the Reds, as he'll be on the bench for the third time in eight games. Sal Stewart will receive the nod at third base in place of Hayes, who is holding down a career-worst .420 OPS over 128 plate appearances on the season.

Lowder recently resumed throwing off the mound as he works his way back from an AC joint issue in his right shoulder, and he's almost ready to face hitters. The righty said he's "pushed to be aggressive to get back as fast as possible," but he will not quite be ready when first eligible Monday. It shouldn't be long after that, however, as long as Lowder's recovery continues at its current trajectory.