Harvey lands on IL (adductor); Ragans, Caglianone updates

KANSAS CITY -- As the Royals prepared to open a 10-game, 11-day homestand, Monday afternoon was dominated by injury updates and one roster move that altered the look of their bullpen ahead of the series opener against the Nationals.

Just over two weeks after he returned from a lengthy stint on the injured list, reliever Hunter Harvey was placed on the 15-day IL again on Monday, this time with a right adductor strain.

Right-hander Luinder Avila, the Royals’ No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was recalled from Triple-A Omaha for what would be his Major League debut in his first appearance.

Harvey last pitched on Saturday against the Twins at Target Field, tossing a scoreless seventh inning, but manager Matt Quatraro said that Harvey didn’t feel the injury while pitching. Instead, he felt it when he woke up on Sunday.

“He played catch [Sunday], said he thought he was going to trend in the right direction, and then [Monday], it didn’t,” Quatraro said following the Royals’ 7-4 win over the Nationals on Monday.

It was unclear how severe or what Harvey’s next steps would be for recovery.

“It’s two weeks on the IL, so we’ll hopefully get the thing calmed down,” Quatraro said. “He should be able to keep playing catch, to some extent, to keep his arm going.”

Since joining the Royals on July 14, 2024, Harvey has spent more time on the IL than on the active roster. The 30-year-old reliever threw 5 2/3 innings last season before missing the rest of the second half with a back injury. At the beginning of 2025, Harvey looked like an elite addition to the Royals’ bullpen -- until he suffered a right teres major strain on April 11.

That injury, along with subsequent setbacks, caused Harvey to miss over three months of this season. But when he returned on July 25, he looked elite again and a welcome addition to the back end of the Royals’ bullpen to pair with Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez.

Harvey hasn’t allowed a run yet this year. But he’s only thrown 10 2/3 innings.

Avila, 23, has a 4.63 ERA with Triple-A this year, where he began the year as part of the Royals’ depth. But he suffered a right shoulder injury in May -- right after he was part of the big league taxi squad in San Francisco but never was activated -- and didn’t return to Triple-A until last Tuesday. The righty last threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the Storm Chasers on Friday with a walk and two strikeouts. Avila began the season as a starter but appeared in short stints on his rehab assignment and when he returned to Omaha’s active roster.

Avila was en route to Kansas City from Omaha on Monday evening and arrived at Kauffman Stadium in the sixth inning. He was able to get out to the bullpen by the eighth inning, but he wasn’t needed in the Royals’ win.

Witt back in lineup

A day after he was held out of the lineup and not available off the bench as a pinch-hitter in the Royals’ 11-inning loss to the Twins on Sunday, Bobby Witt Jr. was slotted back in at shortstop and hitting second on Monday.

Kansas City’s official lineup submission was delayed Monday until the Royals could figure out whether Witt was good to go, meaning he had to get through pregame work with no red flags before he was cleared to play.

“It was a much better day than we could have hoped for,” Quatraro said. “He came in, did his prep work, moved around, felt good. [Head athletic trainer Kyle Turner] took him through some throwing and agility stuff, felt good. Then he went and hit and felt better than he did getting started.

“So we were really encouraged and [had] no hesitation.”

Ragans, Caglianone updates

Lefty starter Cole Ragans will take the next big step forward in his recovery from a left rotator cuff strain on Tuesday when he’s scheduled to throw his first bullpen session.

This will be Ragans’ first time off the mound since he was placed on the IL on June 11. It’s a crucial first step as he eyes a return this year, but the 27-year-old still has to go through a full build-up progression. Bullpens typically lead to live BPs, which then turn into rehab assignments.

If all goes well, Ragans could be looking at a September return, but it remains to be seen when and if he can meet that timeline.

“That’s the hope, but until he gets on the mound and starts building up, we really can’t answer it,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The timeline says early September, but what the actual date is will be determined as it goes.”

Right fielder Jac Caglianone is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain sustained on July 26. How long Caglianone needs on the rehab assignment will be determined based on how he feels; position players can spend a maximum of 20 days on a rehab assignment before they must be activated.