36-year old starting catcher Jason Kendall needs shoulder surgery which will cause him to miss the next 8-10 months putting part of his 2011 season in jeopardy. Kendall played in 118 games for the Royals this year and he was 111 of 434 (.256 avg, .615 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 0 homers, 37 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. 28-year old switch hitting Brayan Pena will likely see a big bump in P.T. Pena has played in 36 games for the Royals this year and he is 15 of 77 (.195 avg, .498 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. 25-year old righty swinging rookie Lucas May will also get a look this month. He played in 24 games in AAA-ball after coming over in the Scott Podsednik trade with the Dodgers and he was 25 of 91 (.275 avg, .878 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 5 homers and 13 RBIs. Overall, May has played in 104 games in AA+AAA-ball and he is 106 of 375 (.283 avg, .831 OPS) with 63 runs scored, 16 homers, 59 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.

The Royals have placed 24-year old righty reliever Kanekoa Texeira on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow strain. Texeira has pitched in 27 games (0 starts) for the Royals this year and he is 1-0 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. He has pitched in 43 games (0 starts) overall this season with the Mariners & Royals and he is 1-1 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Claiming Texeira off waivers was a good move for the Royals as he might have a decent future out of the pen for them.

29-year old righty starting pitcher Brian Bannister has been pretty awful for the Royals so far this year. He has started 22 games for the Royals this year and he is 7-11 with a 5.95 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. Bannister has given up 149 hits (23 homers) in 124 innings for the Royals so far this year. Bannister has now pitched in 107 games (all starts) in his four years for the Royals and he is 35-48 with a 5.05 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Hopefully the Royals look in a different direction than Bannister for the 2011 starting rotation as he keeps getting worse.

UPDATE: (8/18/2010) - The Royals have placed Brian Bannister on the 15-day D.L. with right rotator cuff tendinitis. The Royals have recalled 25-year old righty swinging outfielder Jai Miller to replace Bannister on the active roster. Miller has played in 84 games in AAA-ball for the Royals this year and he is 83 of 311 (.267 avg, .871 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 18 homers, 56 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. But, Miller has also whiffed 113 times so he could have issues with major league pitching. He has only played in 1 game in his major league career to date and he’s 0 for 1 with a whiff.

The Royals have placed 28-year old righty reliever Robinson Tejada on the 15-day disabled list with right biceps tendinitis. Tejada has pitched in 41 games (0 starts) for the Royals this year and he is 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Royals have called up 1B/DH Kila Ka’aihue to replace Tejada on the roster and he’s due to get a lot of P.T. due to the Royals recent deals. Ka’aihue has played in 2 games for the Royals earlier this year and he is 1 of 4 (.250 avg, .500 OPS) with 1 RBI. He also has played in 94 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 103 of 323 (.319 avg, 1.060 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 24 homers and 78 RBIs. Ka’aihue has played in 14 games in his career with the Royals and he is 7 of 25 (.280 avg, .757 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs.

31-year old righty starting pitcher Gil Meche is officially done for the season as he needs more shoulder surgery. Meche pitched in 9 games (all starts) for the Royals this year and he was 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. He has now pitched in 100 games (all starts) in his four years with the Royals and he is 29-38 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. The Royals were depending on Meche this season and he didn’t come through.

UPDATE: (8/2/2010) - Meche has decided against having surgery on his shoulder. He will try to rehab and work out of the pen sometime before the season ends.