Persistent shoulder discomfort suffered by Royals starting pitcher Trevor Cahill has put the veteran right-hander on the 10 day disabled list, with what the team is calling “right shoulder impingement syndrome”. In a corresponding move, Kansas City recalled right-hander Kevin McCarthy from Class AAA Omaha.
Cahill has struggled during the month of August, with the latest setback coming on Wednesday night in an 8-5 loss to the cross-state rival St. Louis Cardinals, with 2 1/3 innings pitched, five walks allowed, and three runs given up. Less than 24 hours later, Cahill was headed back to Kansas City for an MRI on the ailing shoulder.
Cahill was acquired from the San Diego Padres last month with Ryan Buchter and Brandon Maurer, adding depth and arms to the Royals pitching staff for an anticipated fight for the American League Central championship with Cleveland and Minnesota.
Manager Ned Yost, commenting on Thursday about Cahill’s injury, referred to the majority of it as “rotator cuff weakness”, adding he believes the shoulder to be “structurally sound, other than wear and tear of a veteran pitcher”.
With the trip to the DL finalized, the Royals will look for a replacement for Cahill’s next start, set for Monday night (9:07 PM) in Oakland.
Meanwhile, the suddenly struggling Royals, losers of four in a row against the Cardinals, will hope to get healthy and beat up on the rebuilding Chicago White Sox this weekend in Illinois. Chicago right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, acquired in December from the Washington Nationals, will make his debut for the “South Siders” tonight, battling Royals ace lefty Danny Duffy. Last season with Washington, Lopez, ranked the #59 prospect in all of baseball by MLBPipeline.com, made 11 appearances, racking up a 5-3 record and 4.91 ERA.
