Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo hit in head by line drive vs. Rangers
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- Seth Lugo was struck in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive from Brandon Nimmo.
- Lugo rose and walked off under his own power with a sizable lump on his head.
- Royals replaced Lugo with right-hander Mason Black after the fourth-inning injury.
A scary moment unfolded Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium as the Kansas City Royals fell 6-4 to the Texas Rangers.
In the fourth inning, Royals starter Seth Lugo was hit in the head by a 106.6 mph line drive off the bat of Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
Lugo immediately fell to the ground. The baseball ricocheted into right field as Royals manager Matt Quatraro and the training staff raced to the mound.
“Very scary,” Quatraro said. “Especially the way he went, to me, it looked like he just went flat on his back. But I haven’t seen the replay of it or anything. But once we got out there, he was with it and seemed fine. He got it right on his forehead but felt a lot better about it the way he was talking at that point.”
Nimmo also came over to check on his former New York Mets’ teammate. Lugo was able to make it to his feet. He had a sizable lump on his forehead as he walked off the field under his own power.
“They took him for a CT scan just to be safe,” Quatraro said. “But we haven’t gotten the results or anything. It’s not back yet.”
The Royals inserted right-handed pitcher Mason Black into the game. Prior to the injury, Lugo had allowed three hits in 3 ⅓ innings. He issued one walk and recorded two strikeouts.
Black pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief. After the game, he felt for Lugo and was hopeful that he was doing okay after the incident.
“First and foremost, I mean, your thoughts and prayers go out to Seth,” Black said. “And hope he is all right. You know, it was good seeing him walk off the field there. So thank God everything was okay there.”
Several Royals echoed that sentiment.
“I was shaken up, and I think everybody was shaken up,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “It’s part of the game, but it’s a nasty part of the game when somebody gets hit like that.”
Pasquantino had a close look at the situation. He mentioned Lugo was making jokes, which signaled even further that he was OK. And it seemed like Lugo joked with Nimmo as the two embraced after the incident.
“You could tell he was trying to catch his balance, but he was also standing on the mound,” Pasquantino said. “So like his elbow, he fell straight on his arm, which sucked, but he was in good spirits.”
The Royals hope for a positive update Thursday. Lugo is one of their go-to pitchers in the starting rotation and a leader in the clubhouse.
“I think the biggest thing is worrying about his health,” Royals infielder Nick Loftin said. “... Praying for him and hope everything is OK. ... I’ll be saying prayers for him.”
This season, the Royals have dealt with key pitching injuries. KC starters Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic are currently sidelined with elbow injuries. Meanwhile, top relievers Carlos Estévez and Nick Mears are also on the injured list.
Lugo entered play with a 2-4 record and 3.91 ERA.
“If you didn’t know any different, he was talking completely normally,” Quatraro said. “So, hopefully, that’s a really good sign for what’s to come.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 8:02 PM.
