Royals left-hander Kris Bubic will miss the rest of the 2025 season after suffering an injury to his rotator cuff, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers.
The 27-year-old left-hander had a breakout season this year, earning his first All-Star appearance. He was fifth in the American League with a 2.55 ERA, and was the eighth-most valuable pitcher in baseball with 3.3 fWAR.
He had his shortest outing of the year on Saturday, exiting in the third inning after allowing four runs, including walking the first four hitters of the game. Bubic said after the game that physically something felt physically not right. On Saturday, he said he had dealt with an injury “a good portion of the season,” but clarified Sunday that it had “been pretty easy to manage.”
The Royals are anticipating Kris Bubic will be out for the season. His injury will not require surgery, but needs extended rest. He expects a normal offseason.
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) July 28, 2025
Bubic had Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2023, limiting him to just three starts, and he returned mid-season last year as a reliever. He will be eligible for arbitration this off-season for the final time, and could receive a substantial pay raise from his current $3 million salary. He will be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season.
The Royals are suffered some major blows to their starting rotation, a strength of the team for the entire season. In addition to Bubic, Cole Ragans has been out since mid-June with a rotator cuff strain and could return late next month. Michael Lorenzen was placed on the Injued List two weeks ago with an oblique injury and is expected to return in August. Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright have each had setbacks in their rehab with no timetable to return.
That has left them with a rotation of Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, who signed a two-year contract extension this week, plus rookie Noah Cameron, and 45-year-old left-hander Rich Hill. The Royals have not yet announced who will start Wednesday’s game against the Braves, when Bubic was scheduled to pitch next.
