Stephen Kolek Fantasy Stats

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.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek made his team debut on the mound during Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Kolek finally gets his chance on the mound after being acquired by the Royals at the trade deadline. The Royals decided to give Noah Cameron extra rest, so Kolek made a spot start. He tossed six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out three batters in the no-decision. It's unclear if Kolek is going to get another turn in the rotation considering this was likely just a spot start. If he does stick in the rotation, Kolek is in line to get the ball against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. He'll offer some low-end streaming appeal if he makes that start.

The Kansas City Royals will start right-hander Stephen Kolek on Saturday night against the division-rival Detroit Tigers, according to Jaylon T. Thompon of The Kansas City Star. Kolek will be making his debut with the team after Kansas City acquired him at the trade deadline at the end of July in exchange for catcher Freddy Fermin. The 28-year-old went 4-5 with the San Diego Padres with a 4.18 ERA (4.26 FIP) and 1.30 WHIP with 56 strikeouts and 26 walks in 79 2/3 innings over his 14 starts before the trade. Kolek struggled in five minor-league starts at Triple-A Omaha after the trade, allowing 15 runs (14 earned) on 30 hits while walking 10 and striking out 20 in 19 innings. The addition of Kolek this weekend means that Noah Cameron will be skipped in the rotation this weekend. Kolek will not be a recommended fantasy streamer against Detroit.

The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from the San Diego Padres for catcher Freddy Fermin, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. In Bergert and Kolek, the Royals are getting a couple of hurlers who have looked like decent back-end rotation options this season. Bergert, a 25-year-old rookie, has made 11 appearances (seven starts) and posted a 2.78 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. There may be negative regression coming for Bergert, who has a high walk rate (4.54 per nine) with a 4.44 xERA/4.24 FIP/4.75 xFIP. Kolek, 28, debuted last year and made 14 starts for the Padres this season before the trade. He has recorded a 4.18 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 26 walks over 79 2/3 frames in 2025. Both Bergert and Kolek should plug into a Kansas City rotation that just lost No. 1 starter Kris Bubic (shoulder) to a season-ending rotator cuff injury. Cole Ragans (shoulder), Michael Lorenzen (oblique), and Alec Marsh (shoulder) are also on the injured list.

San Diego Padres right-hander Stephen Kolek will be activated to start on Tuesday against the hosting Miami Marlins, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Kolek is on the team's taxi squad in Miami. The 28-year-old will be called up from Triple-A El Paso to re-enter SD's starting rotation for at least one start against the Fish. It will be Kolek's 13th start of the year for the Friars. He has gone 3-4 with a 4.24 ERA (4.22 FIP) and a 1.29 WHIP while striking out 49 and walking 22 in 68 innings pitched. Kolek isn't much of a strikeout artist, which limits his fantasy appeal, although he will be facing a Marlins squad that currently ranks 18th in the majors with a .709 team OPS. In a start against the Marlins back on May 27 at Petco Park, Kolek allowed a season-high-tying six earned runs on six hits while walking two and fanning three in 5 1/3 innings in an improbable win.