Stephen Kolek Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek (personal) was placed on the family medical emergency list on Saturday. Kolek will step away from the team for a period of time due to family matters. He was scheduled to take the ball against the New York Mets next week, but it's unclear if that's still going to happen. This season, Kolek owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 34:12 K:BB ratio across 10 starts with the Royals. He has been tagged for 12 earned runs over his last two starts, so hopefully he'll get back on track after the All-Star break. In a corresponding move, right-hander Jose Cuas has been recalled to take the spot on the active roster.

The Kansas City Royals announced that they reinstated right-hander Stephen Kolek from the family medical emergency list and optioned right-hander Jose Cuas to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Kolek will return to start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, and he'll be pitching on 10 days of rest after originally being placed on the paternity list. The 29-year-old will be sufficiently rested, but it also means he could be on a strict pitch count. The former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of Texas A&M University is 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA (4.55 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks in 52 innings across nine starts in his first full season with the Royals. Kolek has been a decent deep-league streamer based on matchups, but we wouldn't suggest him here against the first-place Rays after skipping two turns in the Royals' rotation. In his last outing, Kolek allowed a season-high nine earned runs on nine hits (three homers) while walking one and striking out none in 1 2/3 innings in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Kansas City Royals announced on Tuesday that right-hander Stephen Kolek has been transferred from the paternity list to the family medical emergency list. Kolek missed his last start on Friday in a matchup against the Chicago White Sox, and he could now miss another start this Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. It's unclear if his move to the family medical emergency list is at all related to his paternity leave, and it's unclear when Kolek might rejoin KC's starting rotation. The 29-year-old former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of Texas A&M University has only made nine starts (52 innings) in 2026 in his first full season with the Royals, going 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA (4.54 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks. With a career strikeout rate of just 16.9%, Kolek is primarily a low-upside, matchup-based streamer in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. If he rejoins the team soon and starts on Thursday against Tampa, we wouldn't recommend using him as a streamer.

The Kansas City Royals will place right-hander Stephen Kolek on the paternity list on Thursday as he heads home for the birth of his first child, according to Joel Goldbert of Bally Sports KC. The Royals will need to fill his spot in the starting rotation for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Kolek will be away from the team for one to three days, so he could return before the weekend series is over to face the Pale Hose, but if not, his next start will come early next week at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 29-year-old former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of Texas A&M University has gone 4-2 on the year wiht a 4.15 ERA (4.54 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks in 52 innings across nine starts in his first full year with the Royals, but he's coming off his worst start of the year, allowing nine earned runs on nine hits (three homers) while walking one and striking out none in just 1 1/3 frames on June 21 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Before that, though, Kolek allowed just three earned runs with four walks and 15 K's in his previous three starts.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Stephen Kolek (personal), who was placed on the family medical emergency list last Thursday, is listed as the team's starter for Tuesday's contest against the visiting Texas Rangers, per MLB.com. Kolek could be pitching with a heavy heart, but he'll be available for KC for what will be his seventh start of the year. The 29-year-old former 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 out of Texas A&M University has gone 3-1 with a 3.32 ERA (4.11 FIP) and 0.97 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and only eight walks in 38 innings over his six starts in 2026 in his first full season with the Royals. He gave up four earned runs in five innings for his first loss of the year back on May 29 at the Rangers, but he bounced back nicely his last time out by allowing only two earned runs with a season-high eight strikeouts in seven innings in a no-decision on June 3 against the Cincinnati Reds. Kolek doesn't have much fantasy upside because of his career 17.4% strikeout rate, and he's only fanning 18.1% of the batters he's faced this year, but the Rangers have been a good matchup in 2026 and rank 20th in MLB with a .698 OPS.

The Kansas City Royals announced on Thursday that they placed right-hander Stephen Kolek (personal) on the family medical emergency list and selected the contract of infielder Josh Rojas from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Kolek could be away from the Royals for anywhere from three to seven days while he deals with a personal matter. It's unclear if he'll be back with the team in time to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday at home in a plus matchup against the Texas Rangers. The 29-year-old isn't much of a strikeout artist, leaving his fantasy ceiling rather low, but he has pitched well in 2026 in his first full year with the Royals, going 4-1 with a career-best 3.32 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 0.97 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and only eight walks in 38 innings across his six starts. Kolek had a quality start his last time out in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds, spinning seven innings with only two earned runs allowed, two walks, and a season-high eight strikeouts. He allowed six runs (four earned) with one walk and five K's in five innings in a loss on May 29 in his first meeting with the Rangers on the road.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Stephen Kolek could start to attract some interest on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues after another impressive performance on Saturday in the team's 5-0 shutout over the visiting Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Kolek won his third game of the year by throwing a complete-game shutout with four hits allowed, one walk, and two strikeouts to lower his season ERA to an impressive 2.77. It was the 29-year-old's second career shutout, and it was also his second straight scoreless outing after throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings with a walk and three strikeouts in his last appearance on May 17 against the St. Louis Cardinals on the road. Kolek has three quality starts in his four outings for the Royals, going 3-0 with a 2.77 ERA (4.21 FIP), 0.85 WHIP, and 14:5 K:BB in 26 innings pitched. He has been impressive in a small sample size for the Royals, but regression should eventually come, and fantasy managers in mixed leagues should know that the upside is limited, as Kolek has a 16.9% strikeout rate in his career.

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek (oblique) has been diagnosed with a Grade 1-plus left oblique strain and will be shut down for the next week or so, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Kolek's timeline for a recovery will depend on how he responds to rest and recovery, putting his availability for Opening Day in late March very much up in the air. The 28-year-old's injury definitely hurts his chances of winning a spot in the starting rotation to begin the 2026 regular season. Kolek ended up making 19 starts with the Royals and San Diego Padres last year while going 5-7 with a 3.51 ERA (3.82 FIP), 1.14 WHIP, and 77:31 K:BB in 112 2/3 innings pitched. He started the year off with an impressive 14 1/3 straight scoreless innings and even threw a shutout at Coors Field before posting a 5.10 ERA in 12 starts. Kolek is a ground-ball artist with limited strikeout upside, limiting his fantasy appeal to AL-only leagues.

The Kansas City Royals' starting pitchers Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert, and Stephen Kolek are drawing interest from several teams, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The St. Louis Cardinals have specifically checked in on Cameron, who posted a 2.99 ERA (4.33 SIERA) with a 12.8 K-BB% across 138 1/3 innings last season. While Rogers did not specify which clubs are eyeing Bergert and Kolek, it's reasonable to assume that neither pitcher would fetch a significant return. In 2025, Bergert recorded a 3.66 ERA (4.62 SIERA) with an 11.8 K-BB% over 76 1/3 innings, while Kolek logged a 3.51 ERA (4.39 SIERA) with a 10.0 K-BB% across 112 2/3 innings.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Kolek made a spot start on Saturday versus the Tigers and now he's back again. He figures to stick around this time with Seth Lugo (back) heading to the injured list. During his last start, Kolek tossed six innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three batters. He's currently scheduled to take the ball against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Kolek owns a 3.99 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 59/26 K/BB ratio across 85.2 innings with the San Diego Padres and Royals this season. He should offer some low-end streaming appeal for that game.