15-Day IL
Injury Oblique
Est. Return 4/6/2026
2026 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Kolek narrowly missed out on a rotation spot with the Padres last spring, beginning 2025 back at the Triple-A level. He got the call in early May for his first career big-league start, and Kolek proceeded to pitch 14.1 consecutive scoreless innings upon arrival, including nine in a historic shutout in Colorado. Not only was the 21-0 margin of victory one of the largest in a shutout in league history, Kolek became just second Padres pitcher to record a shutout in the 30-year history of Coors Field. The right-hander then posted a 5.10 ERA in his subsequent 12 starts before being shipped to Kansas City at the trade deadline. Kolek bookended his season with another strong stretch, posting a 1.91 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB over 33 innings with the Royals. Even with that, Kolek, a groundballer with minimal swing-and-miss in his profile, won't be assured a starting role to begin 2026. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year contract with the Royals in February of 2026.
Out with strained oblique
The Royals placed Kolek (oblique) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Analysis
Kolek strained his left oblique in late February. He's been throwing off a mound and appears close to returning to game action, though the righty could be assigned to Triple-A Omaha rather than the major-league club once he's healthy.
Kolek strained his left oblique in late February. He's been throwing off a mound and appears close to returning to game action, though the righty could be assigned to Triple-A Omaha rather than the major-league club once he's healthy.
Pitching Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-12%
BAA vs LHP
2026
No Stats
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .240 | 63 | 28 | 74 | 7 | |||
| Since 2024vs Right | .273 | 53 | 15 | 83 | 6 | |||
| 2026vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2026vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .229 | 48 | 23 | 51 | 7 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .242 | 29 | 8 | 47 | 2 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .271 | 15 | 5 | 23 | 0 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .327 | 24 | 7 | 36 | 4 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
-33%
ERA on Road
2026
No Stats
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | 4.95 | 1.25 | 67.1 | 7.4 | 1.7 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | 3.33 | 1.26 | 92.0 | 6.0 | 2.9 | ||||
| 2026Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2026Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2025Home | 5.58 | 1.17 | 40.1 | 6.5 | 1.6 | ||||
| 2025Away | 2.36 | 1.13 | 72.1 | 6.0 | 3.0 | ||||
| 2024Home | 4.00 | 1.37 | 27.0 | 8.7 | 2.0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 6.86 | 1.73 | 19.2 | 5.9 | 2.7 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Stephen Kolek compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.48K/9
6.2BB/9
2.5HR/9
0.7Fastball
93.9 mphERA
3.51WHIP
1.14BABIP
.270GB/FB
1.98Left On Base
68.7%Exit Velocity
84.3 mphBarrels/BBE
3.4%Spin Rate
2223 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
30.3%Swinging Strike
7.7%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Progressing in rehab
Kolek (oblique) threw a bullpen Saturday and could pitch in minor-league games next week, MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Begins mound work
Kolek (oblique) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Playing catch
Kolek (oblique) began playing catch from up to 60 feet Monday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Out with Grade 1 oblique strain
The Royals announced Friday that Kolek has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Diagnosed with left oblique strain
Kolek has been diagnosed with a left oblique strain and will be sidelined for at least the next 5-to-7 days, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Potential trade candidate
The Royals are receiving trade proposals centered around Kolek this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Analysis
Kolek is one of several Royals pitchers who have been attracting interest in the trade market this offseason. He made 19 starts in the 2025 regular season between the Padres and Royals, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP across 112.2 innings. He's expected to compete for a spot in the rotation in spring training.
Kolek is one of several Royals pitchers who have been attracting interest in the trade market this offseason. He made 19 starts in the 2025 regular season between the Padres and Royals, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP across 112.2 innings. He's expected to compete for a spot in the rotation in spring training.