Royals’ Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avil a slated for Tommy John surgery, per manager Matt Quatraro

The Kansas City Royals have been hit with another pair of pitching setbacks, with manager Matt Quatraro telling reporters that right-handers Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila are set to undergo Tommy John surgery. The announcement, made before a game against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, points to more time off for the Royals’ rotation and leverage arms as the season moves deeper into its late-summer stretch.

Tommy John surgery is typically performed to address damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in a pitcher’s elbow. While the procedure is common in modern MLB, recovery generally takes many months, which effectively removes pitchers from near-term availability even when a timetable later becomes clearer.

For the Royals, the impact is two-fold: the immediate loss of two active arms and the longer-term need to manage workload across the rest of the staff. When clubs accumulate multiple elbow procedures in a span of time, it can force more frequent innings tracking, earlier bullpen roles, and heavier reliance on depth options to cover gaps.

Kolek and Avila now join a broader group of MLB pitchers who have required surgical intervention on the same elbow structure. Quatraro’s comments, as reported by Yahoo Sports, frame this as a near-term plan for both players, rather than a lingering evaluation, meaning the Royals likely will treat the decisions as something close to a firm end point for 2026 availability.

The Royals’ immediate next steps will likely revolve around how they bridge the innings they lose and how quickly they can reassign roles. Even without new transactions or a specific roster move being confirmed in the reported account, a double-surgery announcement usually triggers a domino effect on call-ups, bullpen sequencing, and start planning for the next several series.

As for the players, both Kolek and Avila are now at the center of the organization’s rehabilitation timeline. For fans, the question will shift from “Can the Royals cover the gap this week?” to “Which arms from the broader staff begin to look like long-term answers after recovery begins?” The next month of pitching usage will offer clues about what Kansas City values most while waiting for their returns.