Lorenzo Cain day-to-day for Kansas City Royals after fouling pitch off knee
Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain left Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox after fouling a pitch off his right knee. He’s since been diagnosed with a knee contusion, and has been listed as day-to-day.
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The day-to-day news will certainly be a relief to the Royals, as Cain’s status seemed up in the air as he stayed on the ground for several minutes in pain after initially lining the ball off his knee. The 2015 American League All-Star has been a catalyst for the Kansas City offense this season, hitting a team-leading .303 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs. He’s also provided great speed out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup, swiping 28 bags and legging out six triples.
As both an offensive impetus and a great source of defense in center field, Cain will be crucial to any success the Royals have in the postseason. The team has already secured the American League Central division title, so they can survive the remaining stretch of the regular season without him, but any time Cain could miss in the postseason would absolutely make advancing past the Divisional Series an uphill climb for Kansas City. Ned Yost likely turn to either Jarrod Dyson or Paulo Orlando in Cain’s absence, though neither would close to providing the same impact on both sides of the ball as Cain.
It sounds as though the 29-year-old should be ready in time for the start of the playoffs, but the Royals will be holding their breath the next few days as he tests out the knee.