The Kansas City Royals have placed right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek on the 15-day injured list after he suffered a right flexor strain during a rehab outing on Saturday.
Kolek had been pitching for Triple-A Omaha in an effort to get back up to speed and rejoin the big league club as early as this week. He had been away from the team on the family medical emergency list for an extended stretch.
The plan called for Kolek to throw four innings or up to 65 pitches, but he was pulled after just 2 2/3 innings and 51 pitches — 30 of which were strikes — against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He left the game in the third inning alongside the Omaha Storm Chasers’ trainer.
During his time on the mound, Kolek surrendered two runs on six hits, hit one batter, walked no one, and struck out three.
Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro spoke about Kolek’s condition on Sunday. “He said he didn’t feel great playing catch, but then as he got on the mound, he felt better,” Quatraro said. “The first couple of innings were pretty good. In the third inning, he felt more aggressive discomfort. They thought it was best to get him out of there.”
Kolek, who is 29 years old, is set to undergo imaging on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
His most recent major league appearance came on July 2, when he gave up three runs on four hits across two innings in a 5-2 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
According to MLB.com, Kolek has been away from the team since before the birth of his daughter, Faye, who arrived seven weeks premature on June 25. He has been at the hospital with his wife, Jessica, and their newborn, stepping away only for that July 2 start. The Royals placed him on the family emergency medical list three times and the paternity list twice, as well as the restricted list on July 11, per MLB.com.
With his daughter showing improvement, Kolek had been preparing to return to the Royals, including Saturday’s rehab start. Major League Baseball granted the Royals special permission to allow Kolek a rehab assignment — something that is not standard practice for players on the restricted list.
On the season, Kolek is 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA, one shutout, 12 walks, and 34 strikeouts across 54 innings over 10 starts.
For his career, he holds a 12-10 record with a 4.13 ERA, 55 walks, and 150 strikeouts in 213 1/3 innings over 71 appearances, including 29 starts, split between the San Diego Padres (2024-25) and the Royals (2025-present). The Padres sent Kolek and right-hander Ryan Bergert to Kansas City in exchange for catcher Freddy Fermin on July 31, 2025.
