"He'll be reevaluated at the end of May. Estévez has been out of action since Opening Day. He took a Michael Harris II comebacker off his left foot in his first outing. That resulted in a contusion that sidelined him for more than a month. The Royals sent him to Triple-A Omaha last night to begin a minor league rehab assignment. Estévez threw 14 pitches and recorded two outs before reporting the shoulder discomfort."
"He'll obviously be pulled off the rehab assignment and is essentially starting the recovery process from scratch. Even if he's cleared to resume throwing in three weeks, he'll need to progress through a series of bullpen and live batting practice sessions before he's ready to embark on a new rehab assignment. That points toward a mid-late June target as the likely earliest return date."
"Estévez hasn't looked right at any point in 2026. Even when he was ostensibly healthy during Spring Training and in the World Baseball Classic, his velocity was nowhere near usual levels. Estévez averaged 89.4 mph on his four-seam fastball over five spring appearances, nearly seven ticks below last year's level. Pitchers usually build some velocity as they get into game shape and play in higher-pressure settings during the regular season, but that kind of drop in one offseason is very rare."
"The back of the bullpen looked like a potential strength for the Royals entering the spring. Estévez led the Majors with 42 saves last year. He turned in a 2.45 earned run average for a second"
Carlos Estévez is dealing with a rotator cuff strain and will not throw for three weeks, followed by reevaluation at the end of May. He has been inactive since Opening Day after a contusion from a comebacker off his left foot, which kept him out for more than a month. He began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha, throwing 14 pitches and recording two outs before shoulder discomfort ended the session. Recovery will restart, requiring progression through bullpen and live batting practice before another rehab assignment. Even with clearance in three weeks, the earliest return is likely mid-to-late June, with possible placement on the 60-day injured list.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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