Kris Bubic impresses KC Royals in live session after injury

Kris Bubic walked off the mound brimming with excitement.

As he sauntered toward his onlooking Kansas City Royals teammates, Bubic was overcome with a sense of relief. He had just completed another checkpoint in his long, arduous rehab journey.

On Saturday, Bubic threw to live hitters for the first time in nearly seven months. And this time, he left no doubt.

If the acknowledgement from those in attendance wasn’t enough, Bubic punctuated his impending return — from a left rotator cuff strain — with a simple nod and wry smile.

The spark was back. His confidence was unmatched.

As the clock ticks toward the start of the 2026 regular season, Bubic needed only a few minutes to remind everyone that his 2025 All-Star campaign wasn’t a fluke … but the continuance of his march to stardom.

“I felt good about it,” Bubic said after the live session. “You know, everything was pretty normal in terms of the movements and the velocities coming out of it. Some normal soreness today because it was my first live, but I look forward to doing it again here in a couple of days.”

Bubic had an interesting offseason. He spent it trying to balance his rehab and a drawn-out contract negotiation. The injury shut him down for several months as he missed multiple starts down the stretch.

His last appearance was July 26 against the Cleveland Guardians. At the time, Bubic had posted a 2.55 ERA in 116 ⅓ innings. He was in the American League Cy Young discussion and off to the best start of his career.

Everything had started to click. Bubic was commanding his fastball at a high level and he had more zip on his breaking pitches. The quality starts piled up and Bubic was arguably the best starter on the pitching staff.

However, he began to feel discomfort in his shoulder. The medical staff evaluated him after he was ineffective against the Guardians. He allowed four runs (three earned) and walked four batters in 2 ⅔ innings.

The velocity was down and Bubic took ownership of the disappointing night. He felt stiff and knew he was hurting the team in his condition.

So the Royals shut him down. Both sides decided early not to pursue surgery, allowing the injury to heal naturally.

Bubic went weeks without throwing. He never wanted to be labeled an “injury-prone guy,” so it bothered him that he wasn’t contributing.

The Royals fell out of the playoff race. In addition to Bubic, the club was without Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo for a significant period. As reinforcements arrived, it was clear the Royals needed their full complement of starters to compete in the AL Central.

Bubic finally was able to get medical clearance to throw again and had a normal offseason to build up for the 2026 campaign.

“For me, it was to attack the rehab similarly to how I attacked the elbow rehab a couple of years prior,” Bubic said. “Just attack the rehab, especially the early part of it, because that sets you up well later when you start throwing again. For me, it was almost a mini head start on the offseason.”

Bubic didn’t experience any setbacks. He got stronger and built up gradually to be ready to perform fully in spring training. He also stayed in contact with the Royals’ trainers and stayed true to his daily recovery timeline.

He was ready. And he showed it with his performance on Saturday.

Bubic faced several hitters during the live batting practice. He showcased his pitching arsenal and had a few minor self-critiques. Overall, he felt his fastball command was there and that his changeup could’ve been a little sharper.

Yet, the gravity of his performance was noticeable. He didn’t miss a beat, and that bodes well for the Royals as they enter Cactus League play on Friday.

“Getting back out there is step No. 1,” Bubic said. “Just hearing the feedback, too, right away has been great. You know, just seeing a hitter in the box is great as well. It’s great to always have the support of my teammates. They saw me quite a bit last year and was with me too when I was doing the rehab towards the end of the year. But I’m excited and I know they are excited. Obviously, we just want to keep it going.”

The Royals will continue to let Bubic ramp up this spring. He is expected to garner a handful of starts as Lugo and Michael Wacha are away due to World Baseball Classic commitments.

Bubic is expected to throw another live session Feb. 18. From there, he will get in game action while increasing the workout intensity moving forward.

For now, it’s clear Bubic aced his first live batting practice. And it’s an encouraging sign for the Royals and the pitching staff as a whole.

“I didn’t watch for the movement profiles or anything,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I was more watching to see if he was apprehensive at all. And it certainly didn’t look like it. His velocity was good. He used his pitches and it seemed like his delivery was in a good spot. So, I was really encouraged.”

Bubic has one year remaining on his contract. He will be a free-agent at the end of the 2026 campaign, which puts the onus on both sides to perform. While Bubic is looking for a rebound season, the question remains whether it will be enough for the Royals to keep him long term.

“For me, it’s day by day,” Bubic said. “Just making sure I’m healthy and, you know, everything will take care of itself.”