Noah Cameron’s Second-Half Surge Could Be Huge for Royals’ Rotation

What a turnaround for the southpaw

Sep 13, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron (65) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What a season Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron is having. Last season, Cameron had an outstanding rookie season. In 138 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.99 ERA, which landed him in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting.

Entering this season, there were plenty of expectations, and many were interested to see how Cameron would respond to his impressive rookie campaign. It wasn’t the hottest start to the year for the southpaw, as he allowed 19 earned runs over his first six starts.

That was followed by a 5.52 ERA over 31 innings in June. Things were not going the way Cameron had hoped to start his sophomore season. But the 27-year-old made one change to his game that quietly flipped the trajectory of his season completely around.

Cameron started calling his own pitches, and that seemed to be the only change needed to get back to the productive pitcher we saw last season. In August, he posted a 1.87 ERA over 33 2/3 innings with 24 strikeouts. His performance earned him American League Pitcher of the Month honors for August.

It feels like game after game, Cameron is showcasing the effectiveness and impact he can make on this Royals rotation in the future. This has been evident in his last two starts. During his outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he went six strong innings, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven.

He followed that up with six more strong innings in his next start against the Boston Red Sox. He allowed just one earned run on four hits while striking out four.

Cameron now has a sub-4.00 ERA at 3.84. He has also set new career highs in innings pitched with 166 1/3 and strikeouts with 149, and the season isn’t over just yet.

With a rotation that has been hit hard by injuries and an uncertain outlook for 2027, Cameron will be one of the top options. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him emerge as the No. 2 starter heading into next season.