Royals Forced to Adjust Rotation Plans After Kris Bubic Injury

The Kansas City Royals announced Monday that starting pitcher Kris Bubic has been placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow soreness. Kansas City now has two key arms sidelined in its rotation, as Bubic joins Cole Ragans on the injured list.

With the hit to the rotation, this likely leaves right-hander Stephen Kolek in the rotation for the foreseeable future, as he has pitched well for Kansas City to start the season.

While Kolek had been filling Ragans' role in the rotation, the Royals will now lean on their bullpen for Game 2 of the series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Bailey Falter will make his first start of the season

Aug 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Bailey Falter (36) make his way to the bullpen before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported Monday that the Royals will turn to a bullpen game Tuesday following Bubic’s injury. She also noted that left-hander Bailey Falter is set to make the start which will be his first of the season.

Falter arrived in Kansas City just before last season’s trade deadline after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was one of three pitchers the Royals acquired ahead of the deadline in an effort to strengthen their pitching depth.

In 2025 with Kansas City, Falter logged 12 innings and recorded two starts. During that stretch, he allowed 15 earned runs.

While he did not perform well in that small sample, Falter was solid before arriving in Kansas City. Prior to the trade, he logged 113 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh and posted a 3.73 ERA.

While he is set to make his first start of the season, Falter has already logged 5 1/3 innings out of the bullpen for Kansas City this year.

It has been a rocky start to the season for the southpaw, as he has allowed six earned runs so far. He owns a 10.13 ERA so far this year.

Similar to the rotation, Kansas City’s bullpen is also without two key arms, especially in late-inning situations. Carlos Estévez and Matt Strahm remain sidelined on the injured list.

The Royals dropped the first game of their three-game series against the Red Sox on Monday by a score of 2-0. Kansas City will hope its bullpen can provide enough support on Tuesday, along with a boost from the offense, to get back in the win column.

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