SURPRISE, Arizona

The Kansas City Royals open Cactus League play on Friday afternoon against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.

And Stephen Kolek will be on the hill.

Kolek, 28, is expected to pitch a few innings in KC’s first game of spring training. The Royals right-hander holds the honorary spot after coming to the Royals at last season’s MLB trade deadline.

“I’m excited for it,” Kolek said. “It’s a great honor to be the first one out for us and (I am) just ready for the opportunity to kind of continue what I was doing last year at the end of the season. I’m excited to get out there and get the team rolling on a good note.”

Kolek posted a 1.91 ERA in five starts for the Royals in 2025. He allowed nine runs (seven earned) while recording 21 strikeouts in 33 innings. Several of Kansas City’s starters were out, but Kolek stepped into the role with confidence.

He recorded a quality start each time out. In his Royals debut, he held the Detroit Tigers to one earned run in six innings. He ended his 2025 campaign with 10 strikeouts and three walks in his last two starts.

“I feel like I ended the season really good,” Kolek said. “(This offseason) I just kind of continued to stay sharp on the things I had going for me. Then, I improved on the things I was working on.”

Kolek said he realized he was forcing fastballs last season. So he altered his long-toss routine to ensure the pitch stayed vertical through the strike zone. He wanted to eliminate some of the pitch’s “run” as it crossed home plate.

He also made sure his other pitches were in a good spot. He will get to display his 2026 arsenal of pitches against a potent Rangers lineup.

“(It’s just) having a healthy buildup throughout getting into camp and being ready to go for this game one,” Kolek said.

The Royals are excited to watch Kolek’s start. The coaching staff raved about his ability to compete at a high level. He impressed team officials — alongside fellow pitcher Ryan Bergert — by thriving in the midst of a challenging transition.

“They’re competitors,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They came in the middle of a pennant race and meaningful games and pitched really well. I mean, against some really good teams, too, especially in (the) division. They kept us in every game they pitched and gave us a chance to win. They went deep into games, too, and it was impressive to watch them compete.”

Bergert will follow Kolek in KC’s rotation Saturday. Bergert will face the San Diego Padres — his former team — at Surprise Stadium.

The Royals have a deep starting rotation. Both Kolek and Bergert are considered quality options who can compete for a significant role.

At the moment, the Royals’ rotation features Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron as expected starters. But depth is always important — see last season — and Kolek and Bergert headline the organizational reserves-in-waiting.

“We tell these guys all the time, you can never have enough good players,” Quatraro said. “You can never have enough players playing well. So we hope we get to make those tough decisions.”

Kolek is ready to pitch in any role. He has settled into his new environment and is preparing to become a first-time dad soon.

He said his goal is to pitch in the big leagues for as long as possible.

“I just think all the pieces are starting to fall into place,” he said. “It’s been a process, really going back to when I was with the Padres. It’s just constantly learning how to pitch in the big leagues. … A lot of people had kind of a little bit of a hand in getting me to where I’m at.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 3:31 PM.

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