Kansas City Royals Lose Pitching Depth

0:00It's April 30th. Welcome to MLB News Today, powered by AI and ready for first pitch. Kansas City Royals just got hit with some tough injury news on their pitching depth. Right-hander Ryan Bergerd had Tommy John's surgery on his UCL, and Prospect Ben Kudraena got fixed up for an Elecronon stress fracture in his elbow. Both arms are shut down for the rest of the season. No doubt about that. Berger's looking at the usual 14-16 month recovery, so figure him out until at least the second half of 2027. Kudraena's timeline is murkier, but he might not be ready for the start of next year's spring either. These are key depth pieces they can't count on anytime soon. The Royals picked up Berger from San Diego at last year's trade deadline, swapping catcher Freddie Furman and another starter. He showed promise post-trade with solid outings, striking out over 20% of batters across both teams. But this season started rough. He got sent to AAA Omaha and hit the injured list back in April after just a few starts.

1:03Right now, both guys are on the minor league injured list. Kansas City could shift them to the big league 60-day I.L., later if they need 40-man roster space, but that means paying each the pro-rated 7, $180,000 minimum through the year. Kudraena might even get nontendered this winter for more flexibility. All this leaves the Royals scrambling for bullpen helped down the stretch, testing their playoff push without these backups in the mix.