KC Royals: Is Danny Duffy Preparing to Be a Hero?

Yesterday was a good day for the KC Royals. 

The Boys in Blue came back from being down 4-2 in the eighth inning to beat the Red Sox 6-4 earning a fourth straight series win. That win happened because of Salvador Perez’s first career grand slam. The win also pulled the KC Royals to within one game of a .500 record (35-36).

As exciting as yesterday was it actually something that happened the previous day, a day when the KC Royals would lose a game 8-3 started by Chris Sale, that should have fans’ attention.

Danny Duffy did this:

Duffy has been on the DL with a Grade 1 oblique strain since the end of May. At the time you couldn’t even say that the KC Royals were treading water. It had been a rough season and Dayton Moore had to be looking at potential trades of his soon-to-be free agents. Duffy going down, the man who signed a five-year extension this off-season to front the rotation, was surely a sign that the team would be sellers by the trade deadline.

Instead a 13-6 run in June so far has put Kansas City right back into a potential playoff hunt. They are currently third in the American League Central division and 3.5 games out of first. Getting Duffy and Nate Karns, who is also on the DL with an elbow injury, back into the rotation would certainly give the team extra fire power for what has been an impressive run.

As Duffy said:

And good news straight from the source, Duffy believes he is ahead of schedule and could begin a rehab stint soon. 

Seeing Duffy throw off the mound at The K on Tuesday afternoon should give every Royals fan goosebumps. Danny was 4-4 in 11 games (68.2 IP) with a 3.54 ERA before the injury. With Jason Vargas having a career year getting Duffy back with the club would create an excellent 1-2 tandem for the rotation.

Duffy also appears ready for some more Blue October magic this year:

Danny’s progress over the next couple of weeks is definitely something that we should watch. As the weather and the KC Royals heat up, getting back key pieces is vital to continue to ride this wave.

Next: KC Royals: Catching Cleveland

If you don’t follow Danny Duffy on Twitter you really should. He is one of the best out there. Also it is hard not to have a positive outlook on this team with the excitement he brings. Follow him here.