Kolek did not factor into the decision during Thursday's 7-6 extra-innings loss against the Blue Jays. He went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
After a clean first two starts in which he didn't allow a run, Kolek has now surrendered eight earned runs over his last two starts spanning 11 innings. Regardless, the 28-year-old has certainly delivered all that's been asked of him as the Padres continue to bide time before the return of veteran Yu Darvish (elbow). Kolek's ERA is up to 2.84 following Thursday's quality start.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Solved by Seattle
Rotowire
Kolek (2-1) took the loss Friday, coughing up five runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over five-plus innings. He struck out four.
After blanking the Pirates and Rockies over 14.1 innings in his first two starts since being promoted at the beginning of May, the 28-year-old right-hander ran into trouble against a much better offense Friday. Kolek saw the first pitch he threw ripped down the right-field line for a solo shot by J.P. Crawford, and two-run homers by Rowdy Tellez in the fourth inning and Cal Raleigh in the sixth accounted for the rest of the damage off him. Kolek will take a 2.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB through his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Toronto.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Tosses shutout vs. Rockies
Rotowire
Kolek (2-0) earned the win against Colorado on Saturday, tossing a nine-inning complete game shutout during which he allowed five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.
The Rockies are now 6-33 on the season, so Kolek's competition wasn't the stiffest, but this was nonetheless a very impressive performance by the former reliever in his second career MLB start. The right-hander was efficient enough (he tossed 104 total pitches) to go the distance while San Diego's offense supported him with a massive 21-run outburst at Coors Field. Kolek began the season in the minors but has shined since being called up May 4, tossing 14.1 scoreless frames with an 11:4 K:BB across two starts. He appears to have locked himself into a rotation spot with the Padres, and his next start is lined up to be a matchup at home against Seattle next week.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Awarded another start
Rotowire
Kolek is listed as the Padres' probable starter for Saturday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field.
Unsurprisingly, Kolek will get a second turn through the rotation after he blanked the Pirates over 5.1 scoreless innings in his first start of the season Sunday. The right-hander will likely continue to hold down a spot in the rotation at least until the Padres get Yu Darvish (elbow) back from the injured list.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Blanks Pittsburgh in season debut
Rotowire
Kolek (1-0) earned the win Sunday against the Pirates, allowing four hits and two walks over 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four.
It was a strong season debut for the 28-year-old Kolek, who held the Pirates to just four singles en route to a victory. Kolek made 42 appearances out of the bullpen for San Diego last year, pitching to a 5.21 ERA with a 1.52 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB across 46.2 regular-season innings. Kolek figures to stick around as the Padres' fifth starter following Sunday's performance. He'd line up for a road matchup in Colorado in his next outing.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Called up for start Sunday
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Kolek from Triple-A El Paso ahead of his scheduled start Sunday in Pittsburgh.
David Morgan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso to make room on the 26-man active roster for Kolek, who will step in as the Padres' new No. 5 starter after Kyle Hart was previously demoted to Triple-A on April 24. Over his five outings with El Paso on the season, Kolek submitted a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 24 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but a 20:4 K:BB paints a more favorable picture of his overall performance. The 28-year-old righty should have an opportunity to make multiple turns through the rotation for the Padres, as Yu Darvish's (elbow) return from the injured list is not considered imminent.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Getting start Sunday
Rotowire
The Padres plan to recall Kolek from Triple-A El Paso to have him start Sunday's game against the Pirates at PNC Park, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
San Diego had been getting by with a four-man rotation since optioning Kyle Hart to El Paso on April 24, but the team will transition back to a five-man starting staff this weekend and call upon Kolek to fill the void. After losing out to Hart in spring training in the competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, Kolek turned in an inflated 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 24 innings across his five starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, though his 14.4 K-BB% has been encouraging. Kolek will get a favorable draw against a weak Pirates offense for his first career MLB start, and a strong showing could allow him to stick around for multiple turns through the rotation while Yu Darvish (elbow) remains at least a few weeks away from making his season debut.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Loses bid for starting rotation
Rotowire
Kolek was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Kolek has been competing for one of the two remaining rotation spots throughout spring training and managed to escape with a decent outing during Monday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks over five innings, but it'll be Randy Vasquez and Kyle Hart who round out San Diego's starting rotation to begin the 2025 regular season. However, Kolek will presumably be a candidate for a promotion if either Vasquez or Hart were to struggle to open the campaign.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Impressive in rotation audition
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Makes good impression Tuesday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Padres' Stephen Kolek: Will be stretched out this spring
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
1:07
1:16
1:53
1:48
0:24
9:30
8:52
8:27
8:56
9:53
5:52
6:16
6:06
4:06
6:11
3:46
5:57
6:05
5:54
6:46
