How a major pitching injury to an AL Central rival could impact the KC Royals

While injuries, including another setback for reliever Hunter Harvey, continue to nag Kansas City Royals pitchers, an arch American League Central Division rival's pitching staff has suffered a blow of its own. It's potentially devastating to that club's playoff chances and could directly impact the Royals.

Minnesota Twins front-line starter Pablo López is headed for a long stay on the injured list. The Twins disclosed Wednesday that he suffered a Grade 2 right teres major strain during his Tuesday outing against the Athletics, and the shoulder issue will force him out of action for eight to 12 weeks.

The injury strikes the Twins at a critical point in their season. After entering May on a long winning streak that ultimately reached 13 games, and going 18-8 for the month, the Twins were 3-1 in June after beating the A's Wednesday, and have become AL Central-leading Detroit's closest competition. Minnesota entered Thursday's action six games behind the Tigers and as the top early contender for one of the league's three Wild Card berths.

And therein lies the rub for the Tiwns ... and possibly the Royals.

The Twins' loss may give the KC Royals a key AL Central opening

Losing López for two-to-three months clearly threatens Minnesota's chances to qualify for postseason play for the first time since 2023. The eight-season major league veteran is 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, and is 31-21 with a 3.72 ERA in 75 starts since joining the Twins in a trade with Miami shortly before spring training began in 2023. Without the reliable righty, who's working on a multi-year contract that doesn't expire until after the 2027 season, the Twins may miss out on some important wins.

And the misfortune López and his club now share stands to benefit the Royals, especially if he misses roughly the next three months of the season, a span during which Kansas City and Minnesota are scheduled to play six times (three in Minnesota and three in Kansas City).

The Royals, then, could avoid having to face López twice ... and that might mean a lot for a club plagued by a low-scoring offense. He has their number — in eight career starts against KC, he's 5-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, and has allowed the Royals only one earned run in 10.1 no-decision innings this season. Missing López only twice may not seem like much, but could improve the Royals' chances for two wins, and that might end up meaning a lot in the extremely tight AL Central, where the Chicago White Sox are the only club already out of the race.

On the other hand, Kansas City's postseason hopes could suffer in the face of López's injury. Because every other team scheduled to play the Twins between now and his return to action also won't have to contend with López, they, too, stand to benefit from his absence, and every advantage Royals' opponents get complicates KC's pursuit of a playoff spot.

So it is that Minnesota's loss may help or hinder the Royals. Only time will tell how López's injury affects Kansas City.