Padres' Stephen Kolek: Odds of rotation spot increasing
Rotowire
Kolek may be one of two finalists to open the season as San Diego's fifth starter, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Kolek, Kyle Hart, Randy Vasquez and Matt Waldron have been battling for the Padres' final rotation spot for most of spring training, but Waldron recently suffered an oblique injury that will probably prevent him from being ready for Opening Day, and Hart had his throwing progression temporarily stalled due to the flu. That could leave Kolek and Vasquez as the finalists for a rotation role, and Kolek has looked slightly better in Cactus League action this far. Over nine innings spanning three appearances, Kolek has given up just one run while posting a 5:1 K:BB, while Vasquez has surrendered two runs over four frames with a 4:0 K:BB. However, Vasquez has the edge in terms of starting experience -- he started 20 games for San Diego last season, while Kolek came out of the bullpen for all 42 of his appearances.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Impressive in rotation audition
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Kolek completed four innings in a Cactus League appearance against the Royals on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits while issuing one walk and striking out two batters.
Yu Darvish started the game and tossed four frames for San Diego, and Kolek followed with four innings of his own. The latter held Kansas City to a lone run, which is the only run he's surrendered through nine frames this spring. Kolek's five punchouts over that span isn't impressive, but he's walked just one batter and given up only five hits. The right-hander is among several pitchers competing for the Padres' final rotation spot this spring, and to this point it's unclear who among the group -- which also includes Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron and Randy Vasquez -- has the upper hand.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Makes good impression Tuesday
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Kolek tossed two scoreless innings in a Cactus League game against San Diego on Tuesday, allowing two hits and striking out two batters.
Kolek came out of the bullpen for all 42 of his appearances as a rookie last season, but he's getting stretched out this spring to compete for the Padres' fifth rotation spot. The right-hander looked good in his spring debut Tuesday, throwing five different types of offerings among his 25 pitches and keeping the Angels off the scoreboard. San Diego's other options to break camp as the fifth starter include Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Will be stretched out this spring
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Kolek will be stretched out as a starting pitcher this spring, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
All 42 of Kolek's appearances with the Padres last season came in relief and he was a full-time reliever in the minors in 2023, as well. However, the 27-year-old made 25-plus starts on two occasions during his time in the minors, so starting is not completely foreign to him. Stretching Kolek out makes sense for a Padres team that lacks rotation depth, but he's a long shot to break camp as one of the team's starting five. Kolek missed the final two months of last season with a forearm issue but appears to be healthy as camp opens.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Padres transferred Kolek (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
The right-hander landed on the shelf in late July due to forearm tendinitis, and he now won't be eligible to be reinstated until after the regular season. Kolek recently resumed playing catch but has yet to throw off a mound, so he still has significant work to do in his rehab program.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Yet to throw off mound
Rotowire
Kolek (forearm) has been playing catch but hasn't yet thrown off a mound, per MLB.com.
Kolek is rehabbing from right forearm tendinitis, but it's not clear how close he may be to a return to the Padres. The righty reliever logged 42 appearances with the team prior to getting hurt, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB over 46.2 frames. If Kolek makes it back to the big-league bullpen before the end of the season, he'll likely take on a low-leverage role.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Not yet throwing
Rotowire
Kolek (forearm) is rehabbing at San Diego's team complex in Arizona, but he has not yet resumed throwing, per MLB.com.
Kolek landed on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm tendinitis July 31. He's eligible to be activated but appears to be some time away from returning given that he hasn't yet begun a throwing program. The rookie reliever appeared in 42 games prior to the injury, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB while picking up three wins and two holds over 46.2 innings.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Out with forearm tendinitis
Rotowire
The Padres placed Kolek on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to right forearm tendinitis.
The right-hander presumably suffered the injury during his appearance against the Dodgers on Tuesday, during which he allowed two walks over a scoreless inning. Kolek is without an official timeline for his return but will be eligible to be reinstated in mid-August.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Nabs victory in relief
Rotowire
Kolek (2-0) earned the win over Boston on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over two scoreless innings.
Kolek was sharp in the relief outing, throwing 16 of 22 pitches for strikes and recording a first-pitch strike to six of the eight batters he faced. The right-hander has been used almost exclusively in lower-leverage situations this season, picking up just two holds across 33 appearances. Kolek has recorded more than three outs in 12 of those outings and has registered a 4.74 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB over 38 innings on the campaign.
