Royals Select Jose Cuas

The Royals announced a handful of roster moves ahead of their game tonight against the Rays. Right-handers Jose Cuas and Randy Dobnak are joining the team in place of fellow righties Eric Cerantola and Connor Seabold. Cerantola has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha, while Seabold has been placed on the 15-day injured list. Dobnak was already on Kansas City’s 40-man roster, but Cuas was not. To free up a space, the team transferred left-handed Kris Bubic to the 60-day IL.

Cuas, 32, has had quite the career. Drafted by the Blue Jays in 2012, he chose to play college ball instead; three years later, he was drafted by the Brewers. A position player at the time, he played all four infield positions in Milwaukee’s system from 2015-17 but failed to make any sort of impression at the plate. So, he gave pitching a shot in 2018, but the Brewers weren’t any more impressed with his work on the mound than they were with his work at the plate, and they released him midway through the season.

Over the next several years, Cuas pitched in the independent Atlantic League and the Diamondbacks’ minor league system. He also famously delivered packages for FedEx when the minor league season was cancelled in 2020. It wasn’t until 2022 that the former position player and delivery driver finally made his MLB debut for the Royals, who had purchased his contract from the Long Island Ducks a year earlier. From 2022-24, Cuas made 132 appearances for the Royals, Cubs, and Blue Jays, pitching to a 4.37 ERA and 4.43 SIERA. He then spent time in the Phillies and Braves systems before making his way back to the Royals on a minor league deal this past winter. It’s fitting that Kansas City, the team that gave him his first MLB opportunity, is now giving him another chance, nearly two years since he threw his last big league pitch.

In 29 games for Triple-A Omaha this season, Cuas has an impressive 3.31 ERA. He has done a good job of limiting hard contact, but he’s also had trouble throwing strikes. His 29.2% hard-hit rate is promising, but his 13.2% walk rate is concerning. The righty is optionable this year, so now that he’s on the 40-man, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make the journey back and forth from Kansas City to Omaha a few times.

Dobnak, like Cuas, will be making his 2026 debut if he gets in a game. The Royals acquired him from the Mariners in June after he triggered an upward mobility clause in his contract. The 31-year-old owns a 4.35 ERA and a 4.85 FIP in 80 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year.

Seabold’s injury forced him to exit yesterday’s game in the middle of a plate appearance. He appeared to have tweaked something on an errant pickoff throw to first base. The team initially described the injury as right lat tightness (per Jaylon T. Thompson of the Kansas City Star), and it has now been diagnosed as a lat strain. It’s not yet clear how severe the strain might be.

As for Bubic, a move to the 60-day IL doesn’t necessarily imply any bad news. He could still return to the Royals as early as July 15. However, he was scratched from his scheduled rehab start with the Storm Chasers today, with senior vice president Scott Sharp telling Sports Radio 810 WHB that the lefty is on his way from Omaha back to Kansas City for further evaluation.