Royals' Pitching Future in Doubt | Kansas City Royals News

Two of the Kansas City Royals’ brightest young pitching prospects, Luinder Avila and Stephen Kolek, are both headed for Tommy John surgery, dealing a major blow to an already injury-riddled rotation. Avila, who earned a starting role this season, will undergo surgery Wednesday, while Kolek, already on the 60-day IL with a flexor strain, confirmed the procedure after a second opinion. Both pitchers showed promise—Avila flashed dominance in 21 outings, Kolek made the most of his rotation chances—and their absence could reshape the team’s outlook for the rest of the year and beyond. Manager Matt Quatraro expressed disappointment over the setbacks, as the Royals now lean on Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, possibly shuffle Daniel Lynch into the rotation, or resort to bullpen games. With depth issues glaring, the front office will need to prioritize adding starting pitching in the offseason if they hope to rebound. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6fbd281c4cd94016