The Kansas City Royals‘ struggling rotation has been hit with a new problem, as right-hander Kris Medlen has been placed on the disabled list with a shoulder problem.
Continue for updates.
Medlen to 15-Day DL
Thursday, May 12
Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, Medlen’s official diagnosis is rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder.
Medlen told reporters he’ll undergo an MRI on Friday and said the soreness surfaced near the end of his start on May 10.
Morosi also reported the Royals placed Chris Young on the disabled list. That leaves manager Ned Yost with two holes to fill heading into a weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.
Injury-Plagued Medlen Struggling to Find Rhythm for Royals
Medlen has been struggling his way through six starts so far in 2016. The 30-year-old has a 7.77 ERA with 30 hits allowed, 20 walks and 18 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. Kansas City starters enter play Thursday with the eighth-worst ERA in Major League Baseball at 4.73, per ESPN.com.
Injuries have plagued Medlen throughout his career. He has had Tommy John surgery twice (2010, 2014) and has only made 30 starts in a season once in his career.
Given Medlen’s struggles so far in 2016, his time in the rotation seemed limited. The Royals have struggled to a 16-17 start after last year’s World Series win. Dillon Gee can slide into the rotation after pitching seven games in relief.
There is plenty of time left in the season for the Royals to turn things around, but there is only so far a team can go with a rotation that cannot hand those dominant relievers a lead. Medlen’s poor performance and propensity to get hurt could force Yost to put him in the bullpen whenever he returns.
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