The Kansas City Royals are acquiring right-handers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from the San Diego Padres for catcher Freddy Fermin, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. In Bergert and Kolek, the Royals are getting a couple of hurlers who have looked like decent back-end rotation options this season. Bergert, a 25-year-old rookie, has made 11 appearances (seven starts) and posted a 2.78 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. There may be negative regression coming for Bergert, who has a high walk rate (4.54 per nine) with a 4.44 xERA/4.24 FIP/4.75 xFIP. Kolek, 28, debuted last year and made 14 starts for the Padres this season before the trade. He has recorded a 4.18 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 26 walks over 79 2/3 frames in 2025. Both Bergert and Kolek should plug into a Kansas City rotation that just lost No. 1 starter Kris Bubic (shoulder) to a season-ending rotator cuff injury. Cole Ragans (shoulder), Michael Lorenzen (oblique), and ... [More]

San Diego Padres right-hander Ryan Bergert is likely to start against the New York Mets on Tuesday, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. That would push Yu Darvish back to Wednesday's series finale. Nick Pivetta would then get the ball Friday to begin a series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bergert, who has been in the minors for the past two weeks, has made 10 appearances (six starts) in the bigs this year and posted a 2.84 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP, 30 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 31 2/3 innings. He'll face a Mets offense that ranks a middle-of-the-pack 15th in the majors in runs scored.

The San Diego Padres announced that they have optioned right-hander Ryan Bergert to Triple-A El Paso and recalled righty reliever Alek Jacob. Bergert spent two-plus weeks on the 15-day injured list and returned Friday to throw 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts in a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. With the first half of Bergert's season done and the Padres in immediate need of bullpen help, it made sense to option him. The 25-year-old rookie is sure to return sometime in the second half, having put up a 2.84 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 30:14 K:BB across 31 2/3 innings and 10 appearances (six starts).

Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports that San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ryan Bergert (forearm) will be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of their series opener against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Bergert has been shelved for a few weeks with a right-forearm contusion after a comebacker hit him during his last start against the Washington Nationals, but he's progressed quickly. He'll take the mound against a Phillies squad that's scored the ninth-most runs per game thus far (4.62). The 25-year-old was solid for the Friars before his injury, posting a 2.67 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 1-0 record through five starts (nine appearances), but won't have an easy ask against a strong Philadelphia lineup.

The San Diego Padres announced on Wednesday that they placed rookie right-hander Ryan Bergert (forearm) on the 15-day injured list with a right-forearm contusion and recalled right-hander Sean Reynolds from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. Bergert will now miss at least the next several weeks after he was hit by a comebacker in his start in Tuesday's win over the Washington Nationals. The 25-year-old's X-rays came back negative, though, so he should be able to return from the IL when he's eligible. The club's No. 21 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, could be needed in the rotation when he's ready to return, too, if Yu Darvish (elbow) is still on the IL. Bergert was pitching in relief in the minors before his first big-league call-up, but he's pitched well for the Friars in nine appearances (five starts), posting a 2.67 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 23 K's and 12 walks in 27 innings.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ryan Bergert (forearm) was forced from Tuesday's matchup with the Washington Nationals after a line drive struck him in the fourth inning. Fortunately, initial X-rays returned negative, though the rookie noted he's still feeling sore. It's not shocking to hear Bergert is still in pain, considering the ball that hit him was traveling at 103.3 MPH. He yielded five hits, three earned runs, and three walks (four strikeouts) before his exit. The 25-year-old is lucky to walk away from the incident unscathed and can be considered day-to-day for now. However, it's unclear if he'll need to skip his next turn in the rotation.