Apr 1, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the Kansas City Royals logo on seats with complimentary flags for fans before the Opening Day game against the Texas Rangers Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Starting Rotation Named Biggest Success For Royals In 2025

Originally posted on Kansas City Royals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals are struggling in the month of September. At 77-77, they are seven games back of the third American League Wild Card spot, and with eight games to go on the regular season schedule, hopes of reaching the postseason for a second straight year seem remote. There have been highs and lows with this team, but they have struggled to remain consistent.

While several areas of the roster let them down in 2025, there is one area that actually held up its end of the bargain. Coming into the year, the Royals knew that they had a strong starting rotation.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN listed the greatest strengths and weaknesses of each Major League team with roughly a week left in the season. He listed the rotation as Kansas City's biggest success story.

Royals' Rotation Listed As Greatest Strength

"Last season, the Royals got 151 starts from their top five starters. This season, they've had 12 pitchers make at least two starts and depending on when, and if, Michael Wacha returns before the end of the season, none of them might qualify for an ERA title. The injuries have affected the rotation performance during the second half, but it hasn't fallen off a cliff, and for the season, Kansas City has MLB's sixth-best rotation ERA. Whether it's converting relievers (Kris Bubic), developing midlevel prospects (Noah Cameron) or identifying trade targets (Ryan Bergert), the Royals have become adept at finding rotation answers that fit their system," Doolittle wrote.

The Royals dealt with several injuries to their rotation this year. Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, who were standouts from last year's team, made multiple trips to the injured list. Even Bubic is now out for the remainder of the season.

However, other arms stepped up in a big way for Kansas City and helped them remain afloat for most of the season. This is one area of the roster that seems to be set heading into 2026. The depth the Royals have was tested, but they found ways to keep themselves in the mix and have multiple options in the event that something went wrong.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the Royals navigate the offseason and if they do anything about their pitching staff. It would seem to be set, but they might have other options emerge for 2026.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Royals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: