Depth Check: A Look At The Royals' Rotation In 2026

The 2025 Royals struggled to stay above .500, finishing the season with an 82-80 record. While there was plenty of blame to go around for failing to reach October after their successful run in 2024, little of that blame can be squared at the starting rotation. The Royals' starting five pitched to a 4.00 FIP in 2025, good for tenth in all of baseball, all while Cole Ragans pitched 61 innings before losing most of the season to injury.

The Starting Rotation 

1. Cole Ragans 

Ragans had his breakout year in 2024, finishing 4th in the AL Cy Young voting.  In 2025, he struggled to stay on the mound, missing roughly three months with a left rotator cuff strain.  Once he returned to the rotation in September, he reminded Royals fans how valuable he is, pitching every fifth day.  Ragans is definitely the ace of this rotation, and if he can remain healthy, he could once again find himself in the Cy Young conversation.

2. Seth Lugo

Lugo took a step back following his excellent 2024 season, when he finished runner-up in Cy Young voting. After signing his two-year extension at the trade deadline, Lugo struggled and eventually landed on the injured list for a lower back issue. Entering his age-36 season, it would be naïve to expect his 2024 performance to return. If he can stay healthy and eat up innings, he will continue to be a valued asset to the Royals’ rotation. 

3. Michael Wacha

Wacha had another steady year pitching, having nearly an identical performance as the year prior. He was a steady presence in the rotation while other pitchers struggled with injuries. 

4. Kris Bubic

Bubic had a breakout first half of his 2025 season, earning him his first All-Star selection after Tommy John surgery caused him to miss most of the previous two seasons. After appearing out of the bullpen exclusively in 2024, he took advantage of his opportunity to return to the rotation in 2025. Unfortunately, a rotator cuff strain suffered in late July caused him to miss the rest of the 2025 season. He is expected to be ready for Opening Day, but enters his final year of arbitration and has been mentioned in trade rumors as the Royals explore adding an outfielder. Whether he's on the Royals or another team, hopefully, he can recreate his All-Star caliber performance post-recovery. 

5. Noah Cameron

Cameron was called up in late April when injuries started impacting the rotation, and he quickly proved he belonged. He finished the season leading the pitching staff in rWAR with 3.8 and finished fourth on the AL Rookie of the Year voting. If he can take the next step in his development and continue to limit base runners, he will be a strong asset to this rotation, especially for a fifth starter. Like Bubic, Cameron has also been mentioned in trade rumors. 

Major League Depth

1. Stephen Kolek

Kolek was acquired by the Royals last year at the trade deadline.  He was packaged with Ryan Bergert in exchange for Freddy Fermin. Kolek did a good job in stabilizing the rotation when other starters started heading to the injured list. In his five starts in Kansas City, he posted a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings. While his performance in Kansas City is likely to regress, Kolek showed what he can bring to this rotation once called upon.

2. Ryan Bergert 

Bergert was also acquired in the Fermin trade. Bergert had a decent first season in the major leagues, starting the season in the bullpen before earning a spot in the Padres’ rotation in June. Although Bergert struggled to go deep into games, only making it to six innings pitched once, after being dealt to the Royals, he got off to a good start, allowing two runs or fewer in his first six starts. He finished the year on the injured list with a right elbow strain. Barring a setback, he is set to enter spring training without limitations and challenge for a spot in the rotation. 

Prospects

1. Luinder Avila

Avila is the Royals’ #13 prospect.  Read a detailed write-up of him in our breakdown of prospects ranked #11-15.

2. Ben Kudrna

Ben Kudrna is the Royals' #5 prospect.  Read a detailed write-up of him in our breakdown of prospects ranked #1-5. 

3. Mason Black

Black was traded from the Giants on November 11 after being designated for assignment. Black has failed to impress at the major-league level with an ERA of 6.47 in 10 appearances across 2024 and 2025.  His only win was, coincidentally, against the Royals in 2024. Black was once a top-10 prospect in the Giants' system, and is currently ranked 21 on MLB.com’s prospect rankings.  Hopefully, a change of scenery will be good for Black.

Probably In The Bullpen, But Could Start

1. Bailey Falter

Falter had little success after being acquired from Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline.  In four appearances (two starts) with the Royals, he had an ERA of 11.25. He had much more success in his time with Pittsburgh with a 4.32 ERA in 60 appearances (57 starts).  The Royals will hope that Falter’s end-of-the-season struggles were an outlier and that he will return to the standard he set in Pittsburgh. Falter does not have any minor league options remaining, so he will likely spend time in the bullpen as a long reliever option.