Kansas City Royals Pitcher of the Month: June 2026

[Philip Ruo]

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Pitching has not been the Royals’ strength in the month of June. Through June 27, the Royals have surrendered 5.72 runs per game this month. This brings their season average to 5.04 runs allowed per game, fifth-worst in MLB. The Royals have also been susceptible to blowouts, with four games allowing 10 or more runs in June. 

The Royals have also had their fair share of misfortune when it comes to pitchers this month. Cole Ragans was transferred to the 60-day IL and is scheduled for another elbow surgery. Stephen Kolek has missed time due to a family emergency and paternity leave after providing a spark for the rotation in May. Kris Bubic is still rehabbing after his elbow soreness landed him on the IL in May. Seth Lugo missed a week due to a concussion caused by a comeback line drive that hit him in the head. 

However, while the team may be struggling to find its footing on the mound, one player has stood out as the best performer for the Royals this month: Michael Wacha.

With former All-Star starters like Ragans, Bubic, and Lugo all missing time, Wacha has become the ace for the 2026 Royals. His 2.8 bWAR this season, fourth highest in the American League, has already matched his mark from last season with half the season still remaining. He is also leading the AL in starts and innings pitched, which has been particularly important as the pitching staff has thinned from injuries. 

Wacha leads all Royals pitchers with 0.8 fWAR in June with a 3.51 ERA and 3.20 FIP. Wacha also leads in innings pitched, logging 33 ⅓ innings across his five starts. With an average of  6.67 innings per start in June, Wacha’s stamina has provided additional rest for the Royals’ bullpen, which has repeatedly been forced to absorb extra innings in June.

Wacha excelled in limiting hitters to soft contact with a 31.3% hard-hit rate and 1.8% barrel rate. His walk rate also ranked in the 93rd percentile in June at 2.9%.

In his age-34 season, Wacha has shown few signs of slowing down. According to Statcast data, his fastball is the most effective it’s ever been, ranking in the 89th percentile in pitching run value, and his off-speed pitches are grading in the 92nd percentile.

Despite Wacha’s strong performance in June, his five starts, three of which were quality starts, have only resulted in one Royals victory. Among qualified pitchers, Wacha has the fifth-least run support with only 3.15 runs per game. His lack of run support was on full display on June 27, when he pitched into the eighth inning, allowing only one run, only for the Royals to be walked off by the White Sox in the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 loss.

Honorable Mention: Noah Cameron

While Wacha has been the leader in the rotation in June, Cameron has provided much-needed depth in the back end of the rotation. He trails only Wacha among Royals pitchers in fWAR for June with 0.6 and leads all Royals starters in xERA and xFIP at 3.48 and 3.76, respectively. In June, he pitched 27 ⅓ innings across five starts, earning him two wins and two quality starts. Cameron prevented runners from getting on base with a 1.17 WHIP in June, which brought his season mark down to 1.33.

Cameron had struggled to find his footing to start the season. Despite allowing more runs on average this season compared to his rookie year, he is displaying positive signs of improvement in his sophomore season. His strikeout rate has gone up from 20.5% to 21.5%, and his walk rate has improved from 7.7% to 6.3%. 

Cameron might be held back by his low average fastball velocity of 92.3 mph, but his arsenal is boosted by his changeup and slider, both grade out at 102 on TJStats' Stuff+ metric.. He can be inconsistent with his performance, but being available at a time when the rotation is stretched thin is valuable to this Royals team.

Honorable Mention #2: Alex Lange

Lange was thrown into the closer role on June 3 after Lucas Erceg struggled in May to solidify the back of the bullpen. Since taking on the role, Lange has earned seven saves and no blown saves in 11 ⅓ innings pitched. While his innings are rarely clean with his 1.68 WHIP during June, his ability to close out games with a lead has prevented further damage to the Royals’ record in June.

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