Royals rotation candidate Stephen Kolek sidelined by left oblique strain

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2026.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas City Royals right-hander Stephen Kolek will be sidelined at least 5 to 7 days, and that could be longer depending on the severity of a left oblique strain.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday that the team hopes the issue isn’t too serious. Kolek was getting another scan to figure out the extent of the injury.

Kolek was warming up Wednesday for what was scheduled to be two innings in an exhibition game against Seattle when he felt tightness in his left side. It was supposed to be the second appearance this spring for the 28-year-old pitcher the Royals got from San Diego in a deadline trade last summer and is expected to contend for a rotation spot.

In his spring debut last Friday, Kolek allowed one run and three hits over two innings against Texas. He struck out two and walked one while throwing 20 of 36 pitches for strikes.

Kolek went 1-2 with a 1.91 ERA in five starts for the Royals last season, when he threw 33 innings for them. He had gone 4-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts for the Padres before he was traded with Ryan Bergert in a deal that sent catcher Freddy Fermin to San Diego.

He made his big league debut in 2024 with the Padres, going 3-0 with a 5.21 ERA in 42 relief appearances.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Associated Press