Royals option LHP Noah Cameron hours after no-hit bid

Less than 24 hours after taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his MLB debut, Noah Cameron is on his way back to Triple-A Omaha.

The Kansas City Royals optioned the 6-foot-3 left-hander to the Storm Chasers on Thursday, a day after Cameron threw 79 pitches and allowed just one hit over 6 1/3 innings in the Royals' 3-0 win at Tampa Bay. That lone hit came off the bat of Curtis Mead, who laced a single to left and prompted a pitching change.

Considered one of Kansas City's top prospects, the 25-year-old Cameron -- a Missouri native who went to high school some 60 miles north of Kauffman Stadium -- became the first pitcher to record that many hitless innings in his debut since April 2018.

Kansas City has not posted a no-hitter since Bret Saberhagen in 1991. That span of 5,244 games stands as the third-longest active drought in the majors.

Cameron began the season in Omaha, where he went 2-0 with a 3.22 ERA over his first five starts. The Royals brought him up for a spot start on Wednesday as ace Cole Ragans continues to deal with a sore groin.

--Field Level Media