Kansas City Royals Pitcher of the Month: July 2026

[Cory Moen]

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the season overall may not have gone as planned for the Royals, there have been a few performances to get excited about, especially when you look at the team's future. There were a handful of pitchers who had solid months in July, but one stood out as the best over the entire month.

The choice for pitcher of the month for July came down to three pitchers: two starters and one reliever. The starters are left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron and right-handed pitcher Randy Dobnak, and the reliever is the left-hander, Daniel Lynch IV.

Noah Cameron had a solid, not spectacular month of July, throwing 32 innings over five appearances and four starts. In that time, he struck out 32 and walked 14, going 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA. The reason I did not choose Cameron for this accolade was that he had a couple of starts where he really struggled in the middle of the month, whereas others were more consistent throughout the month.

Lynch was flawless out of the bullpen, throwing 11 innings in 10 appearances, striking out four and walking just one. It’s hard to convince myself the pitcher of the month was a reliever who threw just 11 innings, however.

The pitcher that has been the biggest revelation is, no doubt, Dobnak. He made five appearances with three starts, throwing 26 innings and recording 14 strikeouts, with a 1.04 ERA. His best appearances came last week against his former team, the Minnesota Twins, where he threw a shutout through seven innings, striking out four and giving up just four hits in a Royals 4-0 win, outdueling Twins All-Star Joe Ryan at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Dobnak was acquired on June 17 from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations, and he has been a nice addition to the Royals' rotation since joining on July 2 after a stint with Triple-A Omaha. In his short time in Kansas City, he has provided innings for a rotation that needs it due to various injuries.

With the trade of Kris Bubic to the Royals, expect Dobnak to get a longer look in the rotation, as he will likely try to convince the Royals that he can stay in the rotation past this season.

Other honorable mentions of pitchers who had solid months of July include Seth Cruz (12 ⅔ IP, 2.13 ERA, 11 strikeouts) and Seth Lugo (6 starts, 33 ⅓ IP, 4.32 ERA, 27 strikeouts).

Which pitcher are you most excited to watch in the final two months of the season? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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