Kansas City Royals First-Rounder To Have Season-Ending Surgery

Brutal news for the Kansas City Royals and their former first-round pick (40th overall) in the 2018 MLB June Draft, left-handed starting pitcher Kris Bubic. 

LHP Kris Bubic will undergo Tommy John surgery, the #Royals say. Typical recovery timeline for a UCL reconstruction is one year.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) April 21, 2023

The 25-year-old hurler is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to the Royals. That puts him out for the rest of the 2023 season, and even for some time into 2024. 

After tearing it up in A-Ball and High-A in 2019, Bubic completely bypassed Double-A and Triple-A in making it to the majors in the shortened 2020 season. In 10 starts he had a 4.32 ERA, and struck nearly a batter per inning. 

He showed only some lateral movement in 2021, posting a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts, but his strikeouts dipped a bit, to 7.9 K/9. Then last season, it all fell apart, as Bubic struggled to a 5.58 ERA in 27 starts, with an untenable 1.70 WHIP. 

He was off to a pretty decent start this year, with a 3.94 ERA in three starts, and an impressive 16:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was finally starting to show that promise. Now, unfortunately, that progress will be on hold for well over 12 months. 

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports