SURPRISE, Ariz. -- After being scratched from his second spring outing on Wednesday, Stephen Kolek was diagnosed with a Grade 1+ left oblique strain Friday after another scan that determined the severity.
Kolek was scheduled to pitch two innings in the Royals’ eventual 8-8 tie against the Mariners on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium, coming in after starter Noah Cameron’s two scoreless frames. It would have been Kolek’s second Cactus League outing after he pitched two innings last Friday in the spring opener. He started warming up in the second inning but sat down after feeling left side tightness, and the Royals shut him down from there.
Kolek will be shut down at least for the next week, but the rest of his timeline will be dependent on how he responds to rest and recovery. After that, he’ll have to build back up, from playing catch to bullpen sessions to innings in a game, so his status for Opening Day is doubtful.
“We’re not going to know anything until we see how he reacts the next few days,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Give him a few days to let it calm down and see. But that initial five to seven days of no throwing for sure, and then we’ll see what happens next.”
Kolek, 28, was competing for a spot in the big league rotation this spring after the club acquired him at the Trade Deadline last year, along with Ryan Bergert, from the Padres. Kolek made five starts for Kansas City in late August and September and posted a 1.91 ERA with 21 strikeouts and just five walks in 33 innings.
The Royals entered Spring Training this year with a ton of pitching depth beyond their five main starters in Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic and Cameron -- and Kolek is a major part of that depth.
Now Kansas City is grateful that it has others who can step up if there are more injuries. Bergert and Bailey Falter are competing with Cameron for the fifth spot in the rotation, and if Cameron wins that, Bergert can be the ace in Triple-A ready to step in when needed. Falter is out of options, so if he doesn’t make the rotation, we could see him in the bullpen.
The Royals are also building up Luinder Avila to starter innings, at least early in camp, so he could also be in Triple-A as starter depth. But the club really liked what he showed in the bullpen last year, so he could find himself in a multi-inning relief role on the Opening Day roster.
“[Kolek] is the guy that probably you would have put near the bottom of the list of guys who might get hurt,” Quatraro said. “His arm’s been healthy, and he’s in great shape. He takes care of himself. And then something like this pops up. It’s just unexpected.”