Dustin May gets the ball for the Cardinals in the 1:10 PM CT getaway game, a matinee that caps a 4-game set in Kansas City. The Royals have leaned on a patchwork rotation all month with Cole Ragans on the 60-day IL and Kris Bubic still working back, so whoever toes the rubber in the home dugout is doing it without the club's two best arms from a year ago.
The Cardinals come in at 40-32 and just dropped Wednesday's finale to the Padres 6-1, so the bats need a wake-up. Kansas City is the opposite story — 30-45 on the year but coming off a 6-2 win in Washington on Wednesday to salvage a road trip. Sunday is a classic getaway-day spot: traveling team, day game after a night game, and a Royals club that desperately needs to bank wins before the calendar flips to July.
The bigger story for Kansas City is who isn't in the box. Vinnie Pasquantino had surgery on a fractured hamate bone and is staring down a 4-6 week recovery, which guts the middle of an already light lineup. Jac Caglianone is expected to absorb most of the at-bats at first, with Salvador Perez and Nick Loftin filling in around him. Add Maikel Garcia's hand issue and Kyle Isbel's Grade 3 plantar fascia tear, and Matt Quatraro is basically running an Omaha lineup card with a Royals logo on it.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) has been sent to the Cardinals' Florida Complex League affiliate to begin a rehab assignment.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez RP — Fernandez (back) is on track to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- 60-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
- Day-To-DayMaikel Garcia 3B — Garcia (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli SP — no
- Day-To-DayJavier Vaz 2B — Vaz (fingers) has produced a .238/.304/.262 slash line with zero home runs and three stolen bases in 10 games since being activated from Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 7-day injured list April 22.
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero RP — no
- 7-Day ILSeth Lugo SP — Lugo (concussion) is expected to be reinstated from the 7-day injured list to start Friday against the Nationals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILVinnie Pasquantino 1B — Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Pasquantino underwent surgery Sunday to remove a fractured hamate bone in his right hand and will face a recovery timeline of roughly 4-6 weeks, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
- 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel CF — Isbel has been diagnosed with a Grade 3 tear of a portion of his left plantar fasciitis.
- 15-Day-ILKris Bubic SP — Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Sunday that Bubic underwent another MRI that showed nothing structurally wrong with his left elbow or shoulder, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
St. Louis isn't exactly whole either — Ramon Urias is on the 60-day, Ryan Fernandez is rehabbing in Memphis, and the bullpen depth has been a season-long question. But the position-player group is intact and the lineup has been able to manufacture runs even on quiet starting-pitcher nights, which is exactly the script you'd write against a Royals offense that's been bottom-third in the league for stretches of June.
This is the kind of interleague crossover that doesn't move standings much for either side but matters in the I-70 sense — bragging rights, a packed Kauffman crowd, and a Cardinals fanbase that travels well two and a half hours west. Take the series finale, head home with momentum, and the road trip becomes a real positive. Lose it and a winnable Sunday gets filed under 'wasted opportunity.'