KC Royals rotation has stepped up in major way to fill void of injured All-Stars

It's safe to say that any team would find themselves behind the 8 ball if they were to lose two All-Stars in their starting rotation at the same time. That's precisely the position the Kansas City Royals were in on Saturday after both Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans hit the 15-day IL.

However, the negative outcomes that would likely be predicted to come with an adverse situation like this have not been what the Royals have felt to this point. While it's still early and they could eventually feel those said negative effects of their ailing Cy Young candidates, the rest of their rotation has stepped up and more than filled the void so far.

KC Royals rotation has stepped up in major way to fill the void of injured All-Stars

The first challenge was always going to be Saturday, as it would mark the first time one of the two injured arms would miss their turn through the rotation. What also posed as a hurdle was the fact it would be the young Noah Cameron stepping in to do so.

While Cameron's first start went as well as anyone could've imagined - carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning and ultimately going 6 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout ball against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 30 - it was still just a small major league sample size to lean on.

That being said, the 25-year-old rookie proved he wasn't just a one-hit wonder, as despite picking up the loss due to zero run-support, he went 6 1/3 innings once again, surrendering just two hits, no walks and one earned run.

Then it was time for the rest of the starting staff, as Wacha took the mound on Sunday and Bubic on the road on Monday.

Now, unlike Cameron, there's no real element of shock here that these two arms showed up in a big way, as they've been a huge reason why this team holds a top three ERA in all of baseball. Wacha entered his start at a 2.96 ERA and Bubic entered his at a 1.66 mark.

But what made their respective starts particularly awe-inspiring was how even these two - amidst their already sterling seasons - seemed to take things to another level that we've seldom seen from them this year, if ever.

Wacha steered the ship for the first five innings of Sunday's sweep-avoiding victory of the Cardinals, surrendering only one earned run. This would set the stage for some seventh inning heroics from the offense, allowing the bullpen to come in a finish the job.

This marked just the third time this season that Wacha managed to go five or more innings of one-run ball.

Then on Monday, Bubic was as locked in as Royals fans had seen him all season. The breakout sensation went seven innings for just the third time all year and posted his lowest hit-total of campaign, surrendering just two in his sixth shutout start of 2025.

The final arm of their solidified starting core will go on Tuesday night in Michael Lorenzen, before the Royals will have to get creative on Wednesday to fill the empty spots.

While this rotation has proven to be a trusted entity on this Kansas City squad in 2025, the fact they have kicked things into another gear in recent days has been precisely the uplifting boost this team needs to ensure they have a shot at winning on a nightly basis - especially when being supported by an offense that's scored more than three runs in a game just once in their last 10 contests.

Now the hope is that this staff can continue on this torrid pace until Ragans and Lugo are off of the shelf and back in the fold.