PITCHING WAS DEFINITELY A STRENGTH FOR THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS LAST SEASON. FROM THE ROTATION TO THE BULLPEN. KMBC9 DENNIS EVANS IS IN SURPRISE. ARIZONA FOR ROYALS SPRING TRAINING WITH HOW THE ROYALS LOOK TO CONTINUE THAT TREND. WELL, THIS IS ROYALS BASEBALL TEAM THAT MADE SOME KEY ADDITIONS DURING THE OFFSEASON. ALWAYS A LOT OF CHANGE ON ANY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROSTER. BUT THE ONE THING FOR THE ROYALS THAT HAS REMAINED CONSISTENT HAS BEEN THE STARTING PITCHING. ONE OF THOSE PITCHERS WHO IS BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR, SETH LUGO, STARTED 26 GAMES LAST SEASON FOR THE ROYALS, FINISHED WITH A RECORD OF EIGHT AND SEVEN. HE IS BACK. HE SAYS HE’S FEELING HEALTHY. THE ROYALS ONCE AGAIN COUNTING ON HIM TO BE A WORKHORSE, A CONSISTENT ARM IN THE LINEUP, AND HE SAYS HE’S READY TO DO JUST THAT. AND HE’S WELCOMING THE NEW ARMS THAT HAVE COME TO HELP THIS TEAM EVEN MORE ON THE MOUND. BRINGING A LOT OF GUYS WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND A LOT OF TIME AND, YOU KNOW, SOME REALLY GOOD ARMS. YOU KNOW, I THINK I THINK EVERYBODY IN HERE HAS THE SAME GOAL AND THE SAME DRIVE. YOU KNOW, I THINK THE PAST WEEK BEING HERE WITH THE GUYS, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KIND OF MESHED WELL TOGETHER. AND YOU KNOW WE ALL HAVE THE SAME PRIORITIES. AND THAT’S WINNING. IT’S ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE GOOD STARTING PITCHING, BUT NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING A SOLID BULLPEN IN THE ROYALS. DEFINITELY HAVE THAT TO COUNT ON HE
Royals pitching staff takes shape at spring training in Surprise, Arizona
Updated: 9:37 PM CST Feb 17, 2026
The Kansas City Royals are counting on familiar arms and fresh faces to carry their pitching staff through the 2026 season.Veteran right-hander Seth Lugo, who started 26 games for the Royals last year and finished 8-7, is back in the rotation and says he feels healthy and ready to be a workhorse again.The Royals bolstered their staff with several offseason additions, and Lugo says the new pitchers are already fitting in.“Bringing a lot of guys with a lot of experience and some really good arms,” Lugo said. “Everybody in here has the same goal and the same drive. The past week being here with the guys, we all kind of mesh well together, and we all have the same priorities, and that’s winning.”While Kansas City likes the stability of its starting pitching, the club believes a strong bullpen will be just as critical in 2026 as it works through spring training in Surprise, Arizona.
SURPRISE, Ariz. —
The Kansas City Royals are counting on familiar arms and fresh faces to carry their pitching staff through the 2026 season.
Veteran right-hander Seth Lugo, who started 26 games for the Royals last year and finished 8-7, is back in the rotation and says he feels healthy and ready to be a workhorse again.
The Royals bolstered their staff with several offseason additions, and Lugo says the new pitchers are already fitting in.
“Bringing a lot of guys with a lot of experience and some really good arms,” Lugo said. “Everybody in here has the same goal and the same drive. The past week being here with the guys, we all kind of mesh well together, and we all have the same priorities, and that’s winning.”
While Kansas City likes the stability of its starting pitching, the club believes a strong bullpen will be just as critical in 2026 as it works through spring training in Surprise, Arizona.