With the Kansas City Royals looking to turn a corner on the mound and have more consistent starting pitching, the Opening Day rotation was set with a balance of young talent as well as reliable veterans.

 

The five starters that will open the season in the KC rotation are Zack Greinke, Jordan Lyles, Brad Keller, Brady Singer, and Kris Bubic. Young lefty Daniel Lynch was originally expected to earn a spot, however after a late spring back injury, he will open the season on the injured list.

 

Greinke will make his 7th career Opening Day start, and he is the most consistent presence on the staff. Greinke had a 3.68 ERA last season, and has a career 3.42 ERA in almost 3300 innings. The 39 year old righty will be asked to give the team an opportunity to win every five days.

 

Lyles was a free agent pickup that had a nice spring, with a 3.52 ERA in 15.1 innings. A career back-end starter, Lyles is very up and down at times with performance, but is a consistent innings eater and will be a key piece to the Royals staff.

 

Keller, a former top prospect, appeared to be the next star pitcher from 2018-2020. However, back to back disappointing seasons has the 27 year old righty looking to re-establish himself, featuring a brand new curveball that he hopes revives his once promising career.

 

Singer was the most impressive pitcher in Kansas City last season, with a team high 10 wins as well as boasting a 3.23 ERA and 150 strikeouts. Singer appears to be the ace of the future, and will be tasked with continuing his development this season, still just 26 years old.

 

And Bubic slides into the final spot with the injury to Daniel Lynch, after having a very strong spring camp. Bubic has struggled thus far in his big league career, with an ERA of nearly 5, and a 3-13 record last season. The lefty has good strikeout stuff, and will look to carry spring momentum to the regular season, after posting a 1.74 ERA with 15 strikeouts.