The Royals’ rotation took another brutal hit Tuesday, with manager Matt Quatraro announcing that Luinder Avila and Stephen Kolek will both have Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.
Both pitchers are already on the injured list, and both injuries have now reached the same painful endpoint. Avila has been dealing with right forearm tightness after his latest start against the Colorado Rockies, while Kolek is on the 60-day injured list with a right flexor strain.
Avila met with team doctors on Monday, and the decision came after that consultation. Quatraro said, “Dr.
(Vincent) Key looked at it, and they figured this is the way to go to get it fixed,” Quatraro said of Avila’s injury. “And he wants to get going as quickly as possible.”
It’s a harsh turn for a pitcher who carved out a real role this season. Avila started the year in the bullpen, but injuries to Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic, now traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, opened the door. He took advantage of it and settled into the rotation.
In 21 appearances, Avila logged 70 innings and posted a 5.53 ERA. The numbers were uneven, but there were flashes that showed why the Royals kept investing in him. He threw 6 ⅓ innings against the San Francisco Giants and allowed just one run against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“The stuff is there,” Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney said. “Right now, it’s just corralling that and bringing that down. It’s taking his focus from the general to the specific, understanding how his stuff plays and how well it plays in the strike zone.”
Kolek’s season was shorter, but the outcome is just as damaging. He finished with a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts and had been lined up for more chances because of the rotation injuries.
Instead, the surgery will wipe out a significant portion of the 2027 season as well. He received a second opinion Tuesday, and the results confirmed the need for the operation.
The surgery news adds Avila and Kolek to a growing list of Royals starters who have needed UCL surgery, alongside Ryan Bergert and Cole Ragans.
Quatraro didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “It’s been a tough year injury-wise all the way around,” he said.
“You know, you can name off a whole bunch of guys that have gone through it. And like we said a bunch of times, it’s really unfortunate and I feel really badly for the guys.
They have put in the work to try to stay healthy and unfortunately they haven’t. Especially when you have these major surgeries that cost you a whole year there, it’s really trying.”
With Avila and Kolek out, the Royals are left to piece together the rest of the season with Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Noah Cameron and Randy Dobnak in the rotation. Daniel Lynch IV could also get a look as a starter. Beyond that, the club may need to lean on journeyman starters or patch things together with bullpen games.
For now, Kansas City has to survive the rest of the 2026 campaign. Bigger-picture, the message is obvious: the Royals are going to need starting pitching help this offseason.
“Unfortunately, I have been through this before in some spots where things kind of come in bunches,” Quatraro said. “And then you go awhile and you don’t have them. But we will evaluate everything.”
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