Royals Shut Down Young Right-Hander Following Recent Injury Scare

A tough blow for the Royals.

Jun 15, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Kansas City Royals ball bag prior to a game against the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals are coming into 2026 looking a lot better than they did at the end of 2025. They added Isaac Collins, Nick Mears, Matt Strahm and Lane Thomas over the winter.

Their biggest strength appears to be their starting rotation. They have Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron, as well as a ton of depth.

However, that depth might end up being tested sooner than expected. Right-hander Stephen Kolek was scratched from his appearance on Wednesday, feeling tightness in his oblique and choosing to get things checked out before he pushed any further. But Anne Rogers' of MLB.com gave an update on the 28-year-old on Thursday.

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Latest update on Stephen Kolek

Feb 20, 2026; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Stephen Kolek (32) delivers to the plate in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"Royals starter Stephen Kolek has a left oblique strain and is getting another scan today to determine severity. He’ll be shut down for at least 5-7 days, but could be more depending on what the scan reveals," Rogers posted on X.

Unfortunately, an oblique injury is typically quite severe, especially for a pitcher. While it might only be 5-7 days in which Kolek is shut down for now, the scan scheduled for Thursday could ultimately reveal more damage and lead to him being shut down for longer.

Oblique injuries tend to take a lot more time than expected. Wacha suffered an oblique strain in 2018 while he was pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. He suffered the injury in June and was ultimately out for the rest of the season.

While it is still very early in spring training, meaning the injury shouldn't cost Kolek the entire year, it may end up still costing him a good chunk of time, which would be a big hit for the Royals' starting pitching depth.

Kansas City is fortunate to still have plenty of reliable arms in the system, a lot of which are starting pitchers, but they may end up losing Kolek for an extended period of time. It will be interesting to see what Thursday's scan shows.

If it shows more damage, that is ultimately bad news for both him and the Royals and could lead to an extended period of absence for the right-hander. 5-7 days may not be enough for him to fully heal and get back on schedule before the 2026 season gets underway.