KC Royals Place Lorenzo Cain On 15-Day Disabled List

The KC Royals placed center-fielder Lorenzo Cain on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a strained hamstring, according to the team’s official website Royals.com. The Kansas City Royals recalled outfielder Brett Eibner from AAA Omaha.

Though no statement accompanied the bad news, we can conclude that medical examination showed that Cain would have to miss more than a couple of days with his hamstring injury. At this time, there’s no report about how much time he is expected to miss.

In any this, losing Cain for two weeks is yet another blow to the KC Royals hopes to defend their World Series title. Not only is Cain the team’s no. 3 hitter, he’s the core of their outstanding outfield defense. While Kansas City has a similarly outstanding defender in bench player Jarrod Dyson, and rookie outfielder Brett Eibner has slashed .297/.350/.514 in 11 games earlier this season, no one on the KC  roster can replace BOTH Cain’s bat and glove.

Cain was hitting a solid .290/.336/.416 with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and six stolen bases as the KC Royals no. 3 hitter. His all around game has been worth an estimated 1.9 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement) according to Baseball-Reference.com. While he hasn’t quite matched last year’s pace from his career-high 7.2 bWAR in 2015, he will be difficult to replace if his injury proves long-term.

Next: Lorenzo Cain's Injury Presents Another Obstacle For Royals

Get well fast, Lorenzo. The KC Royals are going to need you!