The Royals’ most valuable trade chip is running short on time. Kris Bubic’s rehab has stalled, and with the Aug. 3 deadline closing in, Kansas City’s window to deal the left-hander is starting to shrink.
At 40-59, 19 games under .500, the Royals are clearly sellers rather than buyers, and a team looking to retool for 2027. Bubic checks every box a contender wants at the deadline: an All-Star starter on an expiring contract, exactly the kind of rental teams line up for. There was interest earlier in the season, with the Athletics reportedly among his top suitors.
The problem is his health. Bubic has been out since May 18 with a shoulder issue that started as an elbow ailment, and his rehab has hit multiple setbacks. Per MLB.com, he was scratched from a July 1 rehab start with shoulder soreness, received a cortisone injection the next day, and hadn’t thrown since, with the possibility of beginning a new throwing program the week of July 20. Starting a throwing program that late in July, rather than making a rehab outing or returning outright, puts a pre-deadline comeback in real jeopardy.
The Deadline Picture Without Him
A Bubic trade would have been the Royals’ clearest path to a meaningful return. Every day he stays off the mound makes that harder to pull off, and it leaves Kansas City’s deadline looking thinner than fans might have hoped.
The rest of the plan is measured. MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reported the Royals will take a conservative sellers approach, describing a club that won’t buy in the traditional sense but won’t commit to “a full teardown” either. Veterans Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are reportedly unlikely to be moved, which leaves the trade board fairly modest.
That points toward smaller deals. Relievers Alex Lange and John Schreiber, along with bench bats Lane Thomas and Starling Marte, profile as the likeliest names to go, though none carry the value of a veteran starter or a recent All-Star like Bubic. Kansas City entered 2026 believing this group could push toward October, but a 40-59 record has exposed flaws that minor moves won’t fix. Landing a real return for Bubic would have helped, and his rehab timeline may take that option off the table.
