Royals nearing major boost to their pitching depth after latest injury update

The Kansas City Royals' starting pitching staff looks at the peak of it's powers right now, especially after Kris Bubic put together a 7.0 inning, 11 strikeout masterclass on Friday and then Michael Wacha followed it up with a sensational and potentially even better 8.0 inning, seven strikeout outing on Saturday.

However, the one thing that it currently lacks at the moment is depth, as like so many rotations across the league, injuries have taken their toll.

Luckily for the Royals, their major league rotation's health has remained intact, minus what appears to be a minor injury scare with Cole Ragans this past week.

But with numerous starting caliber names either on the shelf already, and one in Luinder Avila who's starting status could be up in the air, the need for reinforcements could be in order.

Thankfully, the Royals appear to be on their way to getting some of their 40-man depth back in the mix, as at long last Stephen Kolek appears to be one step closer to his return, beginning a rehab assignment in Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Stephen Kolek could play a key role in the Royals' pitching staff in 2026 when healthy

While there will certainly be a period in which Kolek will have to ramp up after suffering an injury so early in spring training.

However, after looking strong in his only Cactus League outing with his brand new revamped pitch arsenal, Kolek could very well be in the mix to join this Royals major league squad regardless of whether or not there's space in the MLB starting staff for him.

Kolek's proven he's capable of eating up innings as a starting arm with the Royals, having thrown to an excellent 1.91 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and .167 BAA with them after moving over from San Diego at the trade deadline.

However, in his time with the Padres, Kolek also spent time in the big leagues as a reliever, including making 42 bullpen appearances with them in 2024. At a 5.21 ERA, it wasn't great, but it proved he's capable of the role.

And the Royals haven't been afraid of inserting a depth starter into the bullpen mix so far, with Bailey Falter taking the long-man role out of camp before hitting the injured list, Avila transitioning to the bullpen after his lone start in last weekend's doubleheader and now Mitch Spence being called up in both of their absences.

Again, you'd have to suspect it would take a few outings to get Kolek ready to go, but given how poor the bullpen's looked, there already appears to be a spot for him upon his return, so long as he continues to look as strong as he has with Kansas City thus far.