Royals select Ben Kudrna, Steven Zobac

The Kansas City Royals announced that they have selected right-handers Ben Kudrna and Steven Zobac to their 40-man roster. That protects both players from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 draft. Kansas City’s 40-man roster count climbs from 37 to 39.

The 22-year-old Kudrna was a second-rounder back in 2021. He’s long ranked among the top pitchers in what’s now a thin Royals system. Kudrna struggled to a 5.30 ERA in 106 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season, posting an average 22.9% strikeout rate and a worse-than-average 10.8% walk rate. He’s 90-93 with his sinker, generating a slightly above-average ground-ball rate and a better swinging-strike rate (12.3%) than one might expect for a sinker pitcher with pedestrian velocity.

Zobac, 25, was a 2022 fourth-rounder who missed time this season with a knee injury. He logged an ugly 7.25 ERA with a sub-par 21.7% strikeout rate but has drawn average or better grades for his heater, slider and command. Zobac posted a 3.64 ERA in 126 minor league innings during a healthy 2024 season, and the Royals unsurprisingly didn’t want to risk losing someone they’re envisioning as a potential big league starter even on the heels of an injury-marred ’25 campaign.