The Kansas City Royals’ top pitching prospect is being bumped up to the next level in the team’s farm system. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Right-hander Kendry Chourio has been called up from the Single-A Columbia Fireflies and is joining the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits, the Royals’ High-A affiliate announced<\/a> on Monday. When he takes the mound for the first time with the River Bandits, Chourio will become the first hurler to pitch in High-A during his age-18 season since Miami Marlins<\/a> right-hander Eury P\u00e9rez in 2021, according to MLB Pipeline<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chourio, Kansas City<\/a>‘s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline<\/a>‘s No. 75 overall prospect for 2026, signed with the Royals out of Venezuela as an international free agent in January 2025. The young righty pitched in 14 games last season as a 17-year-old, including making six Single-A starts. And now, after 11 more appearances at Single-A this year, the top prospect is on the move to High-A. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So far this season, Chourio has produced a 1.88 ERA in 11 Single-A starts, with 44 strikeouts in 48 innings. Overall, the young righty has posted a 2.72 ERA in 25 career minor league games, racking up 107 strikeouts in 99 1\/3 innings. According to MLB Pipeline<\/a>‘s 20-to-80 scouting grades scale, the 18-year-old’s fastball and control are rated at a 60. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chourio will pitch the remainder of this season as an 18-year-old, and he doesn’t turn 19 until October. With that in mind, even if he skyrockets through the Royals’ farm system, he’s likely at least a couple of years away from making his big league debut. But still, the fact that he’s already viewed as Kansas City’s top pitching prospect at such a young age obviously makes him an arm worth monitoring in the minors. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When Chourio makes his High-A debut, he’ll most likely be pitching to the Royals’ No. 1 prospect, catcher Blake Mitchell. That could be an early preview of a future big league battery in Kansas City, even though the Royals also have former top prospect Carter Jensen<\/a> currently serving as a part-time catcher in the majors. But, for now, many Kansas City fans will likely be interested to see how Chourio performs following his promotion to High-A. <\/p>\n <\/p>\nKendry Chourio could be a big part of the Royals’ future<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n