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Thomas (hamstring) went 0-for-1 with a flyout in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Red Sox.
Thomas was removed from Tuesday's game with hamstring soreness, but he's evidently healthy enough to take at-bats. With Aroldis Chapman on the mound for Boston in the bottom of the ninth inning, Thomas pinch hit for lefty Kyle Isbel. Thomas has gone 4-for-26 (.154) with one double, four RBI and a 6:10 BB:K this month, dropping his OPS to .619 across 108 plate appearances on the season.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Nursing hamstring injury
Rotowire
Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters that Thomas will not be in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Red Sox due to hamstring soreness, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Thomas tweaked his hamstring during Tuesday's loss to Boston, but the injury is considered to be minor. He'll be available off the bench for Wednesday's contest while Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone will start in the outfield from left to right. With the Royals having a day off Thursday, Thomas could be available for Friday's series opener against the Mariners.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Tallies RBI double
Rotowire
Thomas went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and was caught stealing in Tuesday's 7-1 loss to Boston.
Thomas started the scoring for Kansas City with an RBI double in the first inning, though the Royals wouldn't score again in the loss. Tuesday marked the 30-year-old's second multi-hit effort of the campaign and his first since April 26. Known for his ability to hit left-handed pitching, the outfielder owns an .826 OPS across 51 plate appearances versus southpaws compared to a .456 mark across 56 plate appearances against right-handers this season. Overall, Thomas is slashing .212/.355/.271 with a homer, two doubles, nine RBI, eight runs and three stolen bases across 38 games.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Delivers walk-off blast
Rotowire
Thomas went 3-for-6 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 11-9 extra-inning win over the Angels.
The Royals trailed for much of the game, but Jac Caglianone forced an extra inning with his homer in the ninth. The Angels took the lead in the 10th, but Thomas replied with his first homer of the year to walk it off. This was also Thomas' first multi-hit effort of the campaign. The outfielder is batting .226 with a .661 OPS, five RBI, six runs scored, two stolen bases and one double across 64 plate appearances. He has worked as a platoon partner for Kyle Isbel in center field, though Thomas also occasionally challenges Isaac Collins for at-bats against right-handers in left field.
Perez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.
Perez will catch a breather Saturday after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Friday's series opener. Carter Jensen will handle catching duties for the Royals instead while Isaac Collins starts as the DH and Lane Thomas patrols left field.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Quiet start to 2026
Rotowire
Thomas is 3-for-23 (.130 average) with a double, an RBI, two runs scored, a stolen base and a 5:7 BB:K through 12 games this season.
Brought in on a one-year, $5.25 million deal in the offseason, Thomas has started just six of the Royals' first 16 games, with four of those six starts coming against left-handed pitching. Thomas is at least taking his walks, but manager Matt Quatraro seems to prefer an outfield configuration of Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone from left to right, and he's also mixing in Michael Massey in left field on occasion. For now, it appears Thomas will be stuck in a short-side platoon role for Kansas City.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Drives spring homer
Rotowire
Thomas started in center field and went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Thursday's Cactus League loss to the Angels.
Thomas opened the scoring by taking Yusei Kikuchi deep to center field in the first inning. The outfielder has put together a strong spring, slashing .289/.349/.579 with a double, two triples, two homers, 12 RBI and two stolen bases across 13 games, although his 4:17 BB:K is a little concerning. The 30-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Royals this offseason after undergoing right foot surgery in September and has looked healthy. Thomas doesn't project to be an everyday player for Kansas City, but his ability to handle all three outfield spots could get him semi-regular at-bats.
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Royals' Lane Thomas: Fully healthy after foot surgery
Rotowire
Thomas said Thursday that he's fully healthy after surgery last September to address plantar fasciitis in his right foot, Sports Radio 810 WHB reports.
Thomas played only 39 contests in 2025 due to nagging plantar fasciitis issues before he eventually went under the knife, but he's full-go early on in Royals camp. Signed to a one-year, $5.25 million contract this offseason, Thomas could see the lion's share of playing time in left field for Kansas City this season. He'll have to prove he still has something in the tank, however, after hitting just .160/.246/.272 during his disastrous 2025 campaign.
Thomas (foot) signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Royals on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Injuries limited Thomas to playing in just 39 games with the Guardians in 2025, as he missed time at the start of the year with a wrist issue before plantar fasciitis in his right foot ended his season in July. When the 30-year-old was healthy, he struggled to produce at the plate, slashing just .160/.246/.272 over 142 plate appearances. Despite his struggles, Thomas should be able to capture a starting job in a Royals outfield that lacks depth following Mike Yastrzemski's departure.
Guardians' Lane Thomas: Undergoes season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Thomas underwent surgery on his right foot Tuesday and will be sidelined for the next three-to-four months, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
The surgery addressed the plantar fasciitis issue Thomas has been dealing with this season. With Thomas sidelined for the next few months, his season is over after just 39 games at the big-league level. The 30-year-old slashed a miserable .160/.246/.272 with four home runs, 11 RBI, 10 runs scored, four stolen bases and a 14:44 BB:K across 142 plate appearances. It's fair to wonder if Thomas was completely healthy for even half of those trips to the plate.
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Guardians' Lane Thomas: Needs to see specialist
Rotowire
Thomas (foot) will see a specialist after experiencing pain while on his rehab assignment, SI.com reports.
Thomas was expected to make a start in center field at Double-A Akron on Sunday, but he was scratched due to right foot pain. He'll meet with a specialist at some point this week, at which time the team should have a better idea on when he could make his return from the 10-day injured list. At the very least, this latest mishap will presumably cost Thomas at least a few more days.
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Guardians' Lane Thomas: Plays full game as DH
Rotowire
Thomas (foot) served as the designated hitter, going 0-for-3 for Double-A Akron on Friday. He was also hit by a pitch.
Thomas, who began a rehab assignment with Akron earlier this week, played a full nine innings for the first time. The Guardians likely want to see him in the field for a full game before entertaining thoughts of activating him. Thomas has been sidelined since July 6 with plantar fasciitis.
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Guardians' Lane Thomas: Plays field in rehab game
Rotowire
Thomas (foot) started in center field and went 0-for-2 with a walk for Double-A Akron on Wednesday.
Thomas, who began a rehab assignment Tuesday as the designated hitter, played his first game in the field. He was removed after five innings, but as the RubberDucks' leadoff batter, Thomas was able to get three plate appearances. He's going to get Thursday off, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. The plan is to build up to playing a full nine innings, at which point he could be added to the Guardians roster. Thomas has been out since July 6 with plantar fasciitis.
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Guardians' Lane Thomas: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Thomas (foot) served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-3 for Double-A Akron on Tuesday.
Thomas kicked off a rehab assignment with the RubberDucks on Tuesday and will continue Wednesday, when he's expected to play five innings in the outfield. He's been sidelined by plantar fasciitis since the beginning of July. The Guardians' top affiliates -- Akron and Triple-A Columbus -- both have plenty of games left in the regular season, so Thomas will have plenty of opportunity to build up plate appearances after the long layoff.
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