Royals Pitchers Chris Young, Kris Medlen Suffer Injuries

The Royals starting rotation has been a disaster area the last two weeks. Part of the reason is that both Chris Young and Kris Medlen are suffering from injuries.

The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday night that Chris Young had been removed from the rotation in favor of long reliever Dillon Gee. The front office admitted that Chris Young was suffering from a sore forearm and was headed back to Kansas City for an MRI.

According to Kansas City Star reporter Rustin Dodd, Young has been diagnosed with a muscle strain:

The good news is that Young doesn’t have an elbow problem (which can manifest as forearm pain). The bad news is that Young could require a trip to the DL. Of course, the way he’s been pitching  for the KC Royals, it’s addition by subtraction.

Young mentioned a lack of “late life” on his pitches (in particular his fastball). A sore forearm could very much explain the problem since the forearm pain might prevent him from putting that little extra bit of spin as the ball comes off his fingertips.

[Update: The Royals placed both Chris Young and Kris Medlen on the 15-day disabled list]

Dodd also Tweeted the following news about Kris Medlen:

Hmmm. Shoulder trouble sounds worse than a sore forearm, however at least it’s not elbow pain. With two Tommy John surgeries already, the last thing Medlen needs is another elbow issue.

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Now we see why the rotation has been so unsteady the past couple of weeks. When 40 percent of your starting staff is trying to pitch through injury, you’re unlikely to get any kind of consistent performance.

Injury is the risk of relying on two over-30 pitchers with an extensive surgical history like Chris Young (shoulder) and Kris Medlen (elbow). Thus, Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore prepared for such an event by stashing significant veteran pitching depth in the organization.

Last season, the KC Royals withstood injuries to three starting pitchers in May to win the World Series. In 2016, it looks like the Kansas City Royals will have to pull a similar trick to keep their hopes of repeating alive.

According to Royals.com, the KC Royals recalled pitcher Scott Alexander, who was relieving in Omaha. Presumably, either Brian Flynn, Chien-Ming Wang, or Danny Duffy will take Medlen’s place in the rotation. Since Alexander is a lefty, I’m guessing it’s either Flynn or Duffy.

Next: Five Things About Royals NYC Bounceback

Here’s to finding a new Chris Young or Joe Blanton.