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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Goes on family emergency list
Rotowire
The Royals placed Kolek (personal) on the Family Medical Emergency List on Saturday.
Kolek's next start is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Mets, though it's unclear whether he'll be with the team at that time. He took the loss in his last start against the Rays on Thursday, when he allowed three runs on four hits and one walk across two innings without recording a strikeout. Prior to that outing, Kolek spent some time on the paternity list and then the family medical emergency list before rejoining the team Thursday. The Royals recalled right-hander Jose Cuas from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Rusty in third loss
Rotowire
Kolek (4-3) took the loss Thursday against the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk in two innings. He failed to record a strikeout.
Pitching on 10 days' rest following stints on the paternity and family medical emergency lists, Kolek showed signs of rust in an abbreviated start Thursday. The 29-year-old right-hander has now been unable to register a single punchout in back-to-back outings, watching his season ERA balloon from 2.68 on June 18 to 4.50 after coughing up 12 runs in his last two appearances. Kolek, who has a 1.24 WHIP and 34:12 K:BB over 54 innings this year, will be aiming to steady the ship against the Mets his next time out.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Activated ahead of Thursday's start
Rotowire
The Royals activated Kolek (personal) from the family medical emergency list Thursday.
Kolek was placed on the paternity list last week and shifted to the family medical emergency list Tuesday, but he will rejoin the Royals' rotation with a start Thursday against the Rays. The right-hander will be pitching on 10 days' rest, so it's not clear how sharp he will be or how big of a workload he'll be able to handle.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Expected to start Thursday
Rotowire
Kolek (personal) is expected to return from the family medical emergency list to start Thursday's game against Tampa Bay, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Kolek moved from the paternity list to the family medical emergency list Tuesday so that he could spend more time away from the team following the birth of his child, but the Royals won't end up having to skip his turn in the rotation for a second time. The 29-year-old righty will be looking to bounce back from a disastrous nine-run, 1.2-inning performance during his last start June 21, though he'll be facing a Rays offense that's posted an .881 OPS across its last 10 games.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Shifts to family emergency list
Rotowire
The Royals transferred Kolek (personal) from the paternity list to the family medical emergency list Tuesday.
The right-hander was scratched from his start Friday against the White Sox in order to be placed on the paternity list, and this transaction will allow him to spend more time away from the team. It's unclear if Kolek is expected to be back with the Royals for his next turn through the rotation, which lined up for Thursday versus Tampa Bay.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Going on paternity list
Rotowire
Kolek won't be available to make his scheduled start Friday against the White Sox and is expected to be placed on the paternity list prior to the contest, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Once he's officially placed on the list, Kolek will be away from the club for the next 1-to-3 days, by rule. He could rejoin the team this weekend to make a start against the White Sox, though the Royals might also opt to just skip the right-hander's turn through the rotation. Kolek is coming off his worst start of the season, having allowed nine runs over 1.2 innings in a loss to the Cardinals last Sunday.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Shelled in short start
Rotowire
Kolek (4-2) took the loss Sunday against the Cardinals, allowing nine runs on nine hits and one walk over 1.2 innings.
Kolek entered the day in excellent form, having allowed two runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts, but he was unable to escape the Cardinals' relentless offense Sunday. The right-hander was tagged for three home runs in his short outing, including two by rookie JJ Wetherholt, and was chased before completing the second inning. The nine runs allowed were a career high and caused his ERA to balloon by more than a full run. Kolek now owns a 4.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across 52 innings. He will seek to get back on the right track against the White Sox on the road in his next scheduled start.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Tosses 7.1 scoreless innings Sunday
Rotowire
Kolek (4-1) earned the win Sunday against the Astros, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out four over 7.1 scoreless innings.
Kolek was impressive Sunday, throwing 63 of his 97 pitches for strikes while generating 12 whiffs. The right-hander retired 11 of 12 batters during the middle innings and worked out of a seventh-inning jam by inducing a double play with runners on first and second. He ran into trouble again in the eighth, exiting with two aboard, but reliever Steven Cruz stranded both runners to preserve the shutout. Kolek has now held opponents to two or fewer runs in five of his last six starts, lowering his season ERA to 2.68 to go along with a 1.03 WHIP and 34:10 K:BB across 50.1 innings. He's slated to face the Cardinals in his next start.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Dodges traffic in no-decision
Rotowire
Kolek allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings in a no-decision against Texas on Tuesday.
Kolek failed to record a 1-2-3 inning, and the Rangers put at least two batters on base in three of his five frames. However, the right-hander escaped with just one earned run on his ledger despite needing 88 pitches to retire 15 hitters. Kolek has now yielded two earned runs or fewer in four of his seven starts, leading to a strong 3.14 ERA. He's lined up to face Houston at home in his next start.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Reinstated ahead of Tuesday's start
Rotowire
The Royals activated Kolek from the family medical emergency list Tuesday.
Kolek was away from the club for a few days while tending to a personal matter, but he's back in time to start Tuesday's contest at home versus the Rangers. The right-hander has logged a 3.32 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB over 38 innings covering six starts for Kansas City this season.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Rejoining rotation Tuesday
Rotowire
Kolek (personal) is listed as the Royals' probable starter for Tuesday's game against the Rangers in Kansas City.
Kansas City placed Kolek on the family medical emergency leave list Thursday, but the right-hander looks set to rejoin the Royals for the start of their series with the Rangers and won't have to miss a turn through the rotation. The Royals will make his activation official shortly before Tuesday's 7:40 p.m. ET start time.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Placed on family emergency list
Rotowire
The Royals placed Kolek on the family medical emergency leave list Thursday.
By rule, Kolek can be away from the club for the next 3-to-7 days while he tends to personal matters. The right-hander's next scheduled start is tentatively lined up to come Tuesday at home against the Rangers. Kolek should be back for that outing, but his fantasy managers should check back in a few days to make sure.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Season-high eight strikeouts
Rotowire
Kolek took a no-decision Wednesday against the Reds, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.
Kolek fanned a season-high eight Wednesday in what was already his fourth quality start over six outings for the year. The 29-year-old right-hander has been outstanding since coming over from the Padres at last year's trade deadline, posting a 2.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB over 71 career innings for the Royals dating back to last season. Kolek, who next lines up to take the ball at home versus the Rangers, is making a strong case to remain in Kansas City's rotation even once Cole Ragans (elbow) is healthy.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Tagged with loss Friday
Rotowire
Kolek (3-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Rangers after allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out five.
Kolek tossed 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes, but he gave up four runs, including a two-run homer to Brandon Nimmo, before the end of the first inning. He settled down afterwards, but Kolek didn't receive support from an offense that mustered just one run throughout the game. Despite this subpar outing, Kolek remains a capable-if-not-dominant arm in the Royals' rotation with a 3.48 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in five starts so far. He's slated to make his next start on the road against the Reds.
Royals' Stephen Kolek: Twirls second career shutout
Rotowire
Kolek (3-0) notched the win Saturday against the Mariners, allowing no runs on four hits and one walk in nine innings. He struck out two.
Kolek fired the second complete-game shutout of his career Saturday, also delivering his second consecutive scoreless outing. It was particularly impressive to see the 29-year-old right-hander make it the distance, considering he fanned a season-low two on the evening, and he's now recorded three quality starts through his first four outings. Still undefeated on the year, Kolek boasts a 2.77 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over his first 26 innings.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Strong showing in win
Rotowire
Kolek (2-0) allowed four hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out three over 6.1 shutout innings to earn the win Sunday over the Cardinals.
Kolek delivered his second quality start in three outings this season. He threw 61 of 82 pitches for strikes and never let the Cardinals get into a rhythm. The 29-year-old is now at a 4.24 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB through 17 innings in the majors this season. Cole Ragans (elbow) threw a bullpen session Sunday as he works his way back from an elbow impingement, and he could return over the weekend versus the Mariners if he doesn't require a rehab assignment. If Ragans isn't quite ready, Kolek would likely make one more start.
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Royals' Stephen Kolek: Tagged for five runs vs. White Sox
Rotowire
Kolek did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings.
Kolek managed to keep Chicago off the board through four innings despite working through traffic early, including escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third. However, everything unraveled in the fifth inning, as Drew Romo launched a solo homer before Chase Meidroth followed later with a three-run shot that forced Kolek's exit. The outing marked his second start since returning from the injured list, and while the strikeout total was encouraging, the late collapse overshadowed the positives. He'll look to bounce back in his next scheduled outing against St. Louis.
Royals' Stephen Kolek: Stepping in for injured Ragans
Rotowire
Kolek is slated to start Tuesday's game against the White Sox in Chicago, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
After returning from the injured list and delivering a quality start against the Guardians in his 2026 MLB debut last Tuesday, Kolek was demoted to Triple-A Omaha a day later. However, with Cole Ragans (elbow) landing on the IL on Friday, the Royals opted to recall Kolek and will now plug him into Ragans' vacated spot in the rotation. Kolek tentatively lines up for a two-start week, with his second turn likely to come Sunday in St. Louis.
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