Kansas City Royals ended its six-game losing streak in impressive fashion on Monday night with a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. In the first inning, outfielder Lane Thomas crushed a two-out grand slam off Reds pitcher Lyon Richardson to give Kansas City an early lead.
Less than 24 hours later, the club reshaped part of its roster. The Royals announced on X that they have selected right-hander Beck Way from Triple-A Omaha and claimed outfielder Matt Lugo off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels but assigned him to Omaha immediately. The club also optioned Eli Morgan and outrighted left-hander Bailey Falter after he cleared waivers.
Way arrived at the Royals as part of the 2022 trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Yankees. The right-hander entered 2023 as one of Kansas City's top pitching prospects but struggled with command issues during the past two seasons. He showed improvement in 2026 at Triple-A Omaha, posting a 4.50 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 10 walks across 30 innings in 19 relief appearances.
The move comes as Kansas City continues to manage a busy stretch of the schedule while trying to stabilize its pitching depth. The Royals are expected to keep rotating players between the majors and Triple-A as they evaluate internal options and maintain roster flexibility during the season.
The Royals also claimed reliever Matt Lugo from the Los Angeles Angels and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha. The 25-year-old originally entered professional baseball as a second-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox before being acquired by the Angels in 2024.
Lugo made his major league debut with Los Angeles, appearing in 31 games while hitting .232 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and a .707 OPS. One unusual statistical note stood out: he became only the ninth non-pitcher since 2000 to record at least 70 plate appearances without drawing a walk.
Eli Morgan returns to the minors after struggling to find consistency this season. The 30-year-old appeared in 13 games for Kansas City, posting a 5.51 ERA across 16.1 innings while recording 15 strikeouts, allowing 12 hits and issuing eight walks.
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Kansas City completed its series of transactions by outrighting Falter to Omaha. Falter struggled throughout his time with the Royals after arriving from Pittsburgh before last year's trade deadline, finishing with a 12.46 ERA in nine appearances. His final outing came during a 15-1 loss last week, when he allowed seven earned runs and three home runs. He is earning $3.6 million this season.
The Royals will look to stabilize their roster as they continue their push through the season, hoping the recent moves provide both short-term depth and long-term pitching options.
