Kris Bubic will keep "aggressiveness" as he contends for role in KC Royals starting rotation

After an unexpectedly strong campaign out of the bullpen in 2024, pitcher Kris Bubic is considered a front runner for a slot in the Royals' starting rotation next season— but he'll have to prove he's up to the task in Spring Training. On December 20, Bubic told MLB.com's Anne Rogers that he "can still be in a reliever mindset in a starter’s capacity," and is now focusing on how he can "combine them to optimize the situation going to be in."

"When I went into the bullpen, my stuff was different," Bubic told Rogers. "My mentality was different. And just because you go back to being a starter doesn’t mean that stuff necessarily changes. For me, it’s going to be the same mindset. That’s what I can take from a bullpen experience like that: The aggressiveness. I’m excited to get to camp and build up and see what’s to come."

There's no denying that Bubic stepped up his performance in 2024, but is his new mindset and recently-discovered "aggressiveness" enough to earn him back a spot in the Royals' rotation?

Bubic is happy to be challenged for role in Spring Training

Coming off an abysmal 2022 campaign where he posted the highest WHIP (1.70), worst OBP-against (.381), and highest percentage of line drives (25.8%) among all big-league pitchers, Bubic's 2023 season only lasted three starts before he underwent Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for the rest of the year.

He was finally reactivated from the IL in July 2024 and pitched out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, putting up career-best stats to show a marked improvement from his pre-injury numbers. In 30.1 relief innings in 2024, the 27-year-old accumulated a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and .261 OBP-against, with a walk rate of just 4.1%.

Now, Bubic is looking to return to the Royals' rotation. With Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Michael Wacha locked in as team's 1-2-3 punch for 2025, Kansas City has two starting roles to fill, and manager Matt Quatraro has commented that Bubic is a top contender.

"I think we’re going to stretch out (Kris) Bubic again," Quatraro told reporters at the Winter Meetings, per The Kansas City Star. "He's been a starter. He adapted tremendously well in that reliever role last year. We couldn't have anticipated that. All along the (plan) is for him to start."

Bubic is clearly in a good place as he looks forward to Spring Training, but there are also a number of other pitchers contending for the two open spots in the rotation, including Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, Daniel Lynch IV, and Noah Cameron. Alongside the lefty, Marsh is considered a frontrunner for a starting slot next season, but Wright, Lynch, and Cameron could all impress enough in Arizona to cause an upset.

Still, Bubic isn't bothered by some competition.

"It brings out the best in you and everybody around you," Bubic told Rogers. "You want to be in an environment like that because it challenges you individually to be your best. And for the team, everybody kind of rises to a certain level when they’re around other competitive people who want to win, who want to succeed."