Royals' deadline savior has made sure he won't be lost among team's depth in 2026

When the Kansas City Royals swung a deal with the Padres to acquire pitching depth at the trade deadline, that's precisely what that move looked like at the time - a deal in which brought in a pair of young controllable depth arms amid a time of injury uncertainty.

And while it was Ryan Bergert who looked to be the diamond in the rough of that deal in the early going, it's been his co-acquisition in Stephen Kolek that's stolen the show in recent weeks.

Kolek wasn't always a part of the Royals' plan for 2025, having been sent down to Triple-A Omaha immediately after being acquired. It took a trip to the paternity list for Michael Wacha to give Kolek his shot with Royals in late August.

And after dazzling in his KC debut, he's done nothing but continue to take the ball and run with it since that point. However, what some may not realize is just how convincing he's looked in the process.

Stephen Kolek is pitching like he should undoubtedly be part of Royals' 2026 plans

While Royals fans may know just how valuable Kolek has been to this rotation down the stretch, it can't be lost on the rest of baseball world just how remarkable he's looked compared to other starters around the league.

In 27.0 innings of work across four starts with the Royals, Kolek is throwing to a 1.67 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 0.67 WHIP and .156 BAA.

This stat line on it's own is impressive enough, but seeing how it stacks up against the rest of the league makes it all the more worthy of attention.

Since he made his aforementioned KC debut on Aug. 30, Kolek sits among the Top 10 starters in baseball across the board. His ERA ranks ninth, his FIP ranks fourth, his WHIP sits tied for third and his BAA places him in seventh.

The Royals have plenty of starters to choose from next year and will undoubtedly have difficult decisions to make, but Kolek has done nothing but put his best foot forward to ensure that he's a strong part of the 2026 conversation.

While it will be Ragans who gets the ball on Tuesday night in the series opener against the Los Angeles, Kolek will get the ball in Game 2 on Wednesday, giving him yet another opportunity to cement his spot in the Royals longer-term future.