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Double-A Northwest Arkansas placed Zobac on the 7-day injured list April 2 with an undisclosed injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
The Royals protected Zobac from the Rule 5 Draft despite the fact knee injuries limited him to 36.1 innings at Double-A in 2025. His above-average fastball and slider should eventually fit in the middle of a big-league bullpen, although he is still being developed as a starter entering his age-25 season.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Sent to Double-A
Rotowire
The Royals optioned Zobac to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Saturday.
Zobac was awarded a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster during the offseason, but he'll return to Double-A to begin the new year. The 25-year-old righty posted a 7.68 ERA and 1.91 WHIP over 36.1 innings at Northwest Arkansas last season but pitched 2.2 scoreless frames this spring.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Protected from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Royals selected Zobac's contract from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The right-hander missed time in 2025 due to a knee injury, which limited him to 14 appearances. Zobac spent most of the campaign with Northwest Arkansas and had a 7.68 ERA over 36.1 innings, but the Royals still elected to shield him from potentially being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Healthy again at Double-A
Rotowire
Zobac (knee) has given up seven earned runs on 13 hits and no walks while striking out eight over 6.2 innings in his two starts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas since being reinstated from the 7-day injured list June 13.
Zobac was on Northwest Arkansas' IL for nearly two months before he slotted back into the rotation a couple weeks ago after he wrapped up a three-start rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Over four outings at Double-A this season, Zobac owns a 9.42 ERA and 2.20 WHIP in 14.1 innings, but his 19:5 K:BB suggests that he's pitched better than his ERA would indicate.
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Royals' Steven Zobac: Recovering from knee injury
Rotowire
Double-A Northwest Arkansas placed Zobac on its 7-day injured list April 16 due to right knee patella tendinitis, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Zobac was shut down after laboring through his first two starts of the season with Northwest Arkansas, producing a 9.39 ERA, 2.50 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB across 7.2 innings. According to Preston Farr of FarmToFountains.com, Zobac won't require surgery on his knee, but the 24-year-old righty is facing an uncertain timeline for a return.
Royals' Steven Zobac: Strikeout rate jumps at Double-A
Rotowire
Zobac notched a 3.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 65:14 K:BB in 55.1 innings across 11 appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Zobac was effective earlier in the year with High-A Quad Cities (3.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) but his strikeout rate jumped from 20 percent to 28.6 percent after his July 9 promotion to Double-A. While the 23-year-old righty may not have a true plus pitch, he has never logged a walk rate higher than 7.1 percent and built up to 126 innings this year. Zobac projects to be a No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but he could exceed that projection if his changeup improves or if he adds a tick to his low-90s fastball that already has good movement.
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