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The Kansas City Royals already have the odds stacked against them amid their current push for the postseason.<\/p>\n
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Their offense has seemed to lose a ton of momentum<\/a> in the past week-and-a-half after rebounding admirably in the second half<\/a>. On top of that, their already pretty crowded injured list has seen new names added to it of late<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Unfortunately for the Royals, another new name was placed on the shelf Thursday<\/a>, as prominent starter Seth Lugo landed on the 15-day IL with a lower back strain, according to an official team announcement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com\/ADKNSvbPMO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thursday’s news won’t come as a complete shock to Royals fans, as it was announced yesterday that he was set to be pushed back from his initially expected Thursday start<\/a> with Noah Cameron set to take his place in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels instead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com on Wednesday, manager Matt Quatraro said that Lugo<\/a> had “been dealing with low back tightness the past two days” and that they’d “know more of a plan tomorrow when they see how Lugo feels.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well tomorrow is here and according to a new report from Rogers<\/a>, his Thursday evaluation did not go well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “[Lugo] came out for catch today and didn\u2019t feel any improvement, so he\u2019ll need more rest,” Rogers said via X (formerly Twitter).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seth Lugo is headed to the 15-day IL with low back tightness. Came out for catch today and didn\u2019t feel any improvement, so he\u2019ll need more rest.<\/p>\n Stephen Kolek is expected to return to the big leagues and make Saturday\u2019s start, manager Matt Quatraro said.<\/p>\n \u2014 Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) September 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n As unfortunate as this injury is for both Lugo and the Royals, perhaps rest is exactly what the 35-year-old right-hander needs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s no secret that Lugo hasn’t looked right in the second-half. Since the All-Star break, he’s sporting a very high 7.51 ERA along with a 1.78 WHIP and .302 BAA in 44.1 innings of work. For the month of August in particular, Lugo has only pitched 5.0+ innings once, resulting in a 9.11 ERA and 2.03 WHIP.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is far from the stellar first-half form he showed where he threw to a 2.67 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and .214 BAA in 101.0 innings of work, earning him a what was perceived as a well-deserved contract extension<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a corresponding move, Lugo’s spot in the rotation will be filled by Stephen Kolek, who’s coming off an excellent Royals debut this past weekend<\/a> after joining them at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Rogers, Kolek will take the bump on Saturday for his second start in Kansas City when the Royals play host to the Minnesota Twins.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
Seth Lugo lands on IL amid Royals’ push for the postseason<\/h2>\n
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