KANSAS CITY -- When the All-Star rosters were revealed Sunday, the Royals had two notable omissions. In the four days that followed, numerous replacements were added across the American League, and yet, closer Carlos Estévez and third baseman Maikel Garcia remained on track to stay home during the break.
Not anymore.
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Estevez, earning his call from manager Matt Quatraro on Thursday night, and Garcia, learning of his first All-Star selection Friday ahead of the opener with the Mets at Kauffman Stadium, were both added as replacements to the AL roster, replacing the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom and the Rays’ Brandon Lowe.
And those inside the Royals’ clubhouse felt like it was about time.
“ … They were disappointed for Maikel. They were disappointed for Carlos on Sunday,” Quatraro said. “And it doesn't always work on our timetable, we know that for anything in life, but this worked out for them, and I think that’ll help propel them going into the second half as well.
“Just getting to ask, ‘Hey, you guys want to be All-Stars?’ Just hearing the reaction in their voice and the relief, the disbelief. … I think both of those guys were so deserving that it worked out the way it should have.”
For Garcia, it’s one of the more rewarding selections for a Kansas City club that signed him as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela. Cousin to both Royals playoff hero Alcides Escobar and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., Garcia burst onto the scene in 2023 with a .272 average and 20 doubles across 123 games in his first real opportunity in the big leagues.
The Royals envisioned Garcia as their leadoff hitter and starting third baseman for 2024, but he struggled mightily -- batting just .231 and having a .613 OPS, the worst mark of any qualified hitter in MLB. Garcia was not in the 2025 Opening Day lineup, and his spot at third base was initially taken by Jonathan India, who was acquired over the offseason to hit leadoff.
That left Garcia battling for a spot in the lineup, and he earned it quickly by not only providing elite defense at third, but having a career year at the plate. Entering Friday, Garcia had a team-best .305 average (seventh in MLB) with 24 doubles (tied for second in AL), 103 hits (fifth in AL) and 30 multihit games (tied for fifth in AL).
“I think that it means a lot to me because I think I was one of the worst hitters in baseball last year, and now hitting the ball good, changed my stance, playing good all season,” Garcia said. “I think I can’t be more proud of myself.”
But still, that wasn’t enough until just a few days before the All-Star Game in Atlanta -- although the wait didn’t spoil any of his excitement, especially after receiving calls from Escobar and Acuña to congratulate him.
“I lost faith on Wednesday, after they selected the other guys,” Garcia said. “I think I don’t have the chance to be in there, but I was at home and Q called me … and when I received that call from Q, I knew it.
“I still can’t believe it, you know? You work hard for that, being an All-Star, playing with the best players in the league, and I’m so proud of myself being an All-Star.”
For Estévez, it is his second selection after earning his first with the Angels in 2023. The Royals’ closer is tied for the most saves in the American League (25) with the Astros’ Josh Hader. Estévez (2.03 ERA) needs one save this weekend to have the most saves by a Royal before the All-Star break.
“I was thinking that’s unfair or whatever, but at the same time, we got to win here,” Estévez said of not earning his spot Sunday. “ … And when it happened, I’m like, ‘OK, some justice. I like that.’ I’m excited.”
The Royals are 41-0 this season when leading after the eighth inning, and Estévez is 25-for-28 on save opportunities -- two of those coming in extra innings due to an unearned run with the automatic runner and the other in a game the Royals eventually won. Estévez is the first Royals reliever since Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera in 2016 to make the All-Star Game.
“It’s really special, man,” Estévez said. “I said it before, every time that you get the chance to be on that experience, it’s just amazing. I really like it. I'm really excited.
“[Everyone was] congratulating me, [saying] ‘Well deserved, should have been there,’ but you know how it is. I love how everyone has my back, and they all feel the same way I was feeling.”
The Royals will now send four All-Stars, including Bobby Witt Jr. and Kris Bubic, in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2015-16. Only the Tigers (six), Mariners (five), Dodgers (five) and Padres (five) have more.
But among those four honorees, Garcia’s late addition stands out. Everyone in the clubhouse was excited to celebrate the journey their now-All-Star third baseman has taken to succeed in the Major Leagues.
“ … For him to realize that dream of his is really special,” Quatraro said. “I think it’s something that shows dreams can come true, right? When he walked into the clubhouse today and the guys’ reaction and clapping for him and being excited, I think that shows how he’s grown as a person and a teammate. And these guys have recognized that.”