The Kansas City Royals lost to the Texas Rangers 6-4 on Wednesday. They dropped to 28-40 and are 5.5 games behind for a wild-card spot. However, the loss wasn’t the most concerning part of the matchup.
In the top of the fourth inning, starting pitcher Seth Lugo took a line drive to the head, off the bat of Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo. It was a scary scene, as the 36-year-old immediately fell to the ground and had a noticeable bump on his forehead.
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Lugo was immediately pulled out of the game and replaced by right-hander Mason Black.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67).Denny Medley-Imagn Images
There was immediate concern for a serious injury, as MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry reported that the ball was hit 106.6 miles per hour. However, on Thursday, Lugo spoke to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, giving a positive update.
“Just spoke with Seth Lugo, who is feeling OK this morning,” Rogers wrote. “Some swelling in his forehead but feeling lucky that it wasn’t worse than it was. His left elbow is sore from falling. Too early to say when he’ll get back on the mound, will see how he feels next few days. #Royals.”
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The Royals are hoping the one-time All-Star doesn’t miss any time. In 14 starts this season, Lugo has accumulated 79.1 innings, a 3.86 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and an opponent slash line of .270/.325/.424.
While Kansas City is falling from postseason contention, Lugo has become a popular name before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Luckily, the early update suggests he avoided anything too serious, suggesting the right-hander could be back on the mound soon.
Related: Cubs’ $85 Million Slugger Emerges as Potential Trade Candidate
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
