Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, the team said Friday.
The Royals had placed Bubic on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a left forearm flexor strain after he said his pitching "wasn't very sharp" while being roughed up for five runs on 10 hits in five innings against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Bubic had received multiple opinions before deciding to undergo surgery.
The 25-year-old went 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA in three starts for the Royals this season, his fourth in the major leagues. The Bay Area native and Stanford product went 3-13 last year in his first full season in Kansas City's starting rotation, and he has one victory in his last 15 starts combined.
But Bubic made major changes to his approach in the offseason and entered this year with increased velocity and a new slider. He had 13 strikeouts and just one walk in his first two starts this season before his final start on a cold, rainy day in Kansas City.
The Royals used right-handed reliever Taylor Clarke as an opener Friday night to fill Bubic's spot in the rotation when they opened a weekend road series against the Los Angeles Angels. Kansas City has lost six straight and nine of 10.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.