Royals Have Major Rotation Decisions to Make Ahead of Opening Day
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As Opening Day nears, the Kansas City Royals have a few roster decisions to make. For the most part, the roster appears set, but a handful of questions remain in the pitching department.
One area where the Royals have strong depth is starting pitching, a group they bolstered at the trade deadline last season. Some believed Kansas City might leverage that depth this offseason in hopes of acquiring significant offensive help. While rumors circulated throughout the offseason, no deal has happened so far, though the door is not completely closed.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com discussed the possibility of the Royals implementing a six-man rotation to begin the season.
What will Kansas City do with its crowded starting rotation?
In 2025, the Royals’ rotation was hit hard by injuries, prompting the team to make moves at the trade deadline to add depth. Now that the group is healthy heading into the season, Kansas City has significant starting pitching depth but limited room for everyone to make an impact.
Kansas City appears to have four firm starters in Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. The fifth spot in the rotation was one of the key battles entering spring training, but it is hard to overlook Noah Cameron’s stellar rookie season. From the looks of it, that spot is trending in his direction.
Bailey Falter and Ryan Bergert are two arms pushing for a spot ahead of Opening Day. Stephen Kolek is another name, but he is currently dealing with an oblique strain.
Rogers explained why the Royals have steered away from a six-man rotation in previous years and what adding another arm to the group would mean for the rest of the pitching staff.
“The Royals have been hesitant to carry a six-man rotation in the past because, among other things, it takes a pitcher out of the bullpen and puts more work onto the remaining relievers. Starters also don’t love getting out of the five-day routine,” Rogers said.
Kansas City could turn to a sixth starter this season for a couple of reasons. The first is injuries and maintaining depth, something the team lacked last year when it had to scramble at the trade deadline. While Cameron was a pleasant surprise, it is better to be overprepared than underprepared. The second reason is the workload the team faces early in the season.
“Following the first four games of the regular season, the Royals will play a stretch of 12 games in a row before their next off-day on April 13. A few weeks later, they will play 13 consecutive games from April 28 to May 10. Those are two stretches where it might be reasonable to think a sixth starter would fit into the pitching plans,” said Rogers.
This will be something to monitor as the Royals navigate the back half of spring training leading into Opening Day. Kansas City is not ruling anything out when it comes to the rotation.
Brian Sparks is a graduate of the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a background in digital journalism and sports media. Born and raised in Kansas City, he brings experience in writing, radio, and social media to sports coverage across multiple digital platforms.
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