Royals' Seth Lugo set to return, Bobby Witt Jr. in question vs. Cards

As the Kansas City Royals are set to welcome back one key contributor from a scary injury, they hope their brightest star won't be out for any extended period of time.

Right-hander Seth Lugo (2-4, 3.86 ERA) is slated to start on Friday night as the Royals try for a series victory over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Kansas City will do so with the health status of two-time All-Star Bobby Witt Jr. in question.

Lugo took a line drive to the forehead off the bat of Texas' Brandon Nimmo in the fourth inning on June 10. Lugo, though, bounced up and exited the contest on his own power, albeit with a noticeable bump on his head.

"That's a pitcher's nightmare," Lugo told the Royals' official website. "I was very, very lucky that it was kind of a glancing blow instead of straight on."

After time on the concussion list, Lugo is scheduled to be on the mound at home, where he posted two straight quality starts before that outing against the Rangers. The veteran last faced the Cardinals in 2023 and is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in three career starts against them.

Meanwhile, Witt exited the Royals' 14-6 win over St. Louis in Thursday's series opener during the fourth inning with right knee discomfort. Witt, who hit his 10th homer and is batting .294, has dealt with knee soreness this season, though the severity of his current issue remains unknown.

Witt's latest episode could be another blow for a club that's dealt with a host of injuries in 2026, including to fellow All-Star Maikel Garcia, currently day-to-day with a hand issue.

"When Bobby goes down, it is really concerning," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Despite Witt's departure, Kansas City set its season highs for runs and hits (17) on Thursday. The Royals also recorded eight doubles, including a club-record five during a sixth-run second inning.

Salvador Perez became the all-time home run leader at Kauffman Stadium with his 137th on Thursday. He is four shy of the overall club-record of 317 by Hall of Famer George Brett.

Meanwhile, Kansas City's Carter Jensen had two doubles Thursday and is batting .366 with 10 RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.

The Royals on Friday will try for a third straight win this season over St. Louis, which is 3-5 since winning six straight games.

The Cardinals pounded out 13 hits on Thursday but stranded 15 runners while starter Matthew Liberatore allowed seven runs (five earned) over 1 2/3 innings.

"These guys compete hard," St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. "You learn from it, flush, keep moving. We'll be just fine."

Talented St. Louis rookie JJ Wetherholt had three hits in the series opener and is batting .379 in his last 15 contests. Teammate Jordan Walker recorded two hits with an RBI on Thursday. He's 6-for-17 against the Royals in 2026.

Friday's scheduled Cardinals starter, Michael McGreevy (3-5, 2.99 ERA), ranks among the major league leaders with nine quality starts, including his three in June.

This will be the right-hander's first career appearance against the Royals.

--Field Level Media