Padres get an awkward reminder as Royals’ return in Freddy Fermin deal hits turbulence

The Padres don’t need Stephen Kolek to be healthy anymore — but the Royals kind of do. And that’s what makes his current issue feel like an immediate reminder that pitching is fragile. This is also just another stress test from last summer’s trade. 

Kolek was scratched from what would’ve been his second Cactus League outing after he felt left-side tightness while warming up, and Kansas City shut him down on the spot. A follow-up scan later diagnosed him with a Grade 1+ left oblique strain, with his timeline to be determined.

Padres-Royals swap reveals a harsh truth after Kolek’s injury stalls his ramp-up

From a Padres lens, this isn’t a random footnote. Kolek is exactly the type of controllable depth pitcher teams convince themselves they can “just plug in” across a long season. But obliques don’t care about roster plans. Even mild strains can quietly steal weeks because you can’t rush the core work that actually stabilizes a pitcher’s delivery. So the Royals’ return on that deadline deal is already paused before March even really starts. 

And then there’s the reminder the Padres can’t resist: Ryan Bergert’s history makes the whole package look even shakier. Bergert got drilled by a 103-mph line drive in June 2025 and had to leave the game, the kind of freak event that still counts because it interrupts development and workload. Later, after the trade, Kansas City placed him on the injured list in September with a right elbow strain/flexor-related issue that effectively ended his season. 

That’s the backdrop for the trade Padres fans remember: on July 31, 2025, San Diego acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals for Kolek and Bergert.  It wasn’t a headline-screamer. It was Preller buying something contending teams need: a catcher who can actually take the field, absorb innings, and stabilize a staff when the season gets weird.

This isn’t a victory lap over someone else getting hurt. But it is a clean illustration of why the Padres paid for the boring position. Catching depth is reliability. Pitching depth is a hope and a prayer. And right now, the Royals’ two-pitcher return is already living in the exact danger zone the Padres chose to cash out of.