The Royals have agreed to send left-hander Kris Bubic to the Dodgers in exchange for reliever Luinder Duran, according to the report, though the club has not confirmed the move.
Bubic’s season has been interrupted for months. The 28-year-old has been on the 60-day injured list since May 15, first with what was originally listed as left elbow soreness before it was identified as a left forearm strain, then later with left shoulder soreness that delayed his return even more. He had only just started throwing again after the All-Star break, leaving his status for the rest of the year uncertain.
The timing matters here. Bubic is making $6.15 million this season and is set to hit free agency at the end of the year, which made him a clear trade candidate ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline. Even with the injury, the Royals were looking for a team willing to take a shot on him, and the Dodgers stepped in.
For Kansas City, Duran is the return. The 6-foot-7 right-hander has spent the entire season in Triple-A, where he posted a 3.38 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings over 37 appearances and two starts.
The Dodgers added him to their 40-man roster on July 6 because of a clause in his contract, but he stayed in Triple-A. He originally signed a Minor League deal with Los Angeles this offseason after the A’s released him.
Duran has only one Major League appearance on his record. That came in 2025 with the A’s, when he gave up three earned runs in one-third of an inning.
His Triple-A work has been far more encouraging, especially this year. Duran has a 31.1% strikeout rate with Triple-A Oklahoma City, leaning on a 95-97 mph four-seam fastball and a slider that misses bats.
Command remains the issue, though, as his walk rate sits at 14.3% this season. Even so, there’s enough raw stuff to suggest he could help a big league bullpen, and the Royals may give him that chance down the stretch.
The deal also closes the book on Bubic’s run with the organization that drafted him No. 40 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. The Stanford product made his big league debut in August 2020 and has spent the last seven seasons in the Royals’ pitching mix. Injuries kept interrupting that run, including Tommy John surgery in 2023, a rotator cuff strain in '25 and the arm and shoulder issues this season.
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The question for Kansas City is whether that version of Massey can keep holding up over the long run. His low walk rate and high chase rate outside the zone leave plenty of room for pitchers to work him, even as he handles breaking balls well enough to stay dangerous. The bigger concern is how often 4-seam fastballs have given him trouble, since that one hole can shape the way teams decide to use him, and how fans ultimately view his place in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]