Matthew

Lugo

Lugo heads back to the minors to make room for Maikel Garcia on Kansas City’s active roster. The ex-Angels prospect hit .143 (2-for-14) during a nine-game stint with the Royals.

Caglianone remains out for the sixth consecutive game after taking on-field batting practice prior to Friday’s series opener at Fenway Park. Clearly, the Royals are proceeding with an abundance of caution after Caglianone was diagnosed with a mild flexor strain last weekend. It’s impossible to rule out a trip to the injured list at this juncture, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. It’ll be Matthew Lugo drawing another start in right field in his place.

Caglianone takes a seat for the third consecutive game after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow. It’ll be Matthew Lugo drawing another start in right field on Tuesday. There was optimism the 23-year-old burgeoning star would avoid a trip to the injured list and nothing has changed on that front for now. The Royals have an off-day before they kick off a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday night. There should be additional clarity on his status leading into that contest. However, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

With Maikel Garcia (hamstring) landing on the injured list on Friday, Lugo will have his first chance to show the Royals what he can do at the MLB level. The 25-year-old outfielder has slashed .265/.350/.473 with 11 homers, 36 RBI and three stolen bases across 226 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Lugo, a former second-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2019, was hitting .232/.243/.464 with four homers and nine RBI in 70 plate appearances over 31 games with the Angels this season. He can play all over the field and should provide organizational depth for the Royals at a few positions.

Lugo looked like he was going to be an interesting reserve outfielder for a hot minute last summer when he homered three times in eight games to start his Angels career. The 25-year-old scuffled over the final few months to finish hitting .232/.243/.464 with four homers and nine RBI in 70 plate appearances over 31 games. He was hitting .257/.388/.389 with three homers and 11 steals in 47 games for Triple-A Salt Lake this season.

Lugo was a common option/recall in 2025, and it’s no surprise he’ll open the 2026 season — barring something unforeseeable — in Triple-A Salt Lake. It also won’t be a surprise if he’s one of the first names the Angels call up when they need reinforcements.

Lugo is 12-for-44 with one homer and 10 walks. After a breakthrough 2024 in the Red Sox system, he spent most of last season in Triple-A for the Angels, hitting a disappointing .262/.320/.443 at Sale Lake. Since he’s quite versatile, he still might prove to be a nice 26th man in the majors, but he’ll probably head back to Triple-A to open 2026.

The 24-year-old outfielder has struggles in his time with the Halos this season, slashing .232/.243/.464 with four homers and nine RBI in 70 plate appearances. His demotion clears a spot on the active roster for the return of Christian Moore on Saturday.

Ward required about 20 stitches over his right eye, but he’s otherwise okay. Matthew Lugo is starting in left field in his place on Tuesday. Given how terrifying the incident seemed in the moment, it’s a welcome relief for everyone that he managed to avoid catastrophic injury.