<\/p>\n
Kris Bubic walked off the mound brimming with excitement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Bubic threw to live hitters<\/a> for the first time in nearly seven months. And this time, he left no doubt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If the acknowledgement from those in attendance wasn\u2019t enough, Bubic punctuated his impending return \u2014 from a left rotator cuff strain \u2014 with a simple nod and wry smile.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The spark was back. His confidence was unmatched.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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<\/a> wasn\u2019t a fluke \u2026 but the continuance of his march to stardom.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI felt good about it,\u201d Bubic said after the live session. \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bubic had an interesting offseason. He spent it trying to balance his rehab and a drawn-out contract negotiation<\/a>. The injury shut him down for several months as he missed multiple starts down the stretch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His last appearance was July 26 against the Cleveland Guardians. At the time, Bubic had posted a 2.55 ERA in 116 \u2153 innings. He was in the American League Cy Young discussion and off to the best start of his career.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, he began to feel discomfort in his shoulder. The medical staff evaluated him after he was ineffective against the Guardians<\/a>. He allowed four runs (three earned) and walked four batters in 2 \u2154 innings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So the Royals shut him down<\/a>. Both sides decided early not to pursue surgery, allowing the injury to heal naturally.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bubic went weeks without throwing. He never wanted to be labeled an \u201cinjury-prone guy,\u201d so it bothered him that he wasn\u2019t contributing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bubic finally was able to get medical clearance to throw again and had a normal offseason to build up for the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it was to attack the rehab similarly to how I attacked the elbow rehab a couple of years prior,\u201d Bubic said. \u201cJust 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bubic didn\u2019t 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\u2019 trainers and stayed true to his daily recovery timeline.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was ready. And he showed it with his performance on Saturday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019ve been a little sharper.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet, the gravity of his performance was noticeable. He didn\u2019t miss a beat, and that bodes well for the Royals as they enter Cactus League play on Friday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cGetting back out there is step No. 1,\u201d Bubic said. \u201cJust hearing the feedback, too, right away has been great. You know, just seeing a hitter in the box is great as well. It\u2019s 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\u2019m excited and I know they are excited. Obviously, we just want to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For now, it\u2019s clear Bubic aced his first live batting practice. And it\u2019s an encouraging sign for the Royals and the pitching staff as a whole.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t watch for the movement profiles or anything,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. \u201cI was more watching to see if he was apprehensive at all. And it certainly didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s day by day,\u201d Bubic said. \u201cJust making sure I\u2019m healthy and, you know, everything will take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n