Kansas City Royals Place Kris Medlen, Chris Young on DL

While the Kansas City Royals haven’t relied on their starting pitching during their rise to success, the team lost two struggling starters to injury Thursday.

In what’s been a disappointing season for the reigning World Series champion Kansas City Royals, the team announced starters Kris Medlen and Chris Young were placed on the 15-day disabled list with rotator cuff inflammation and a right forearm strain, respectively.

At 16-18 and behind the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians in the American League Central, the Royals will turn to righty Dillon Gee and lefty reliever Danny Duffy to take the two spots in the rotation, as reported by Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

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While the bullpen is the main strength of the Royals pitching staff, the rotation has been mediocre to start the season and has led the team to a 4.00 ERA, good for 13th in the league. Medlen and Young, in particular, have struggled to find their footing to start the season.

After returning from Tommy John surgery last season, Medlen posted a respectable 4.01 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 15 appearances with Kansas City – but has struggled tremendously in 2016. The 30-year-old currently has a 7.77 ERA and an unsightly 7.40 BB/9, proving his command is nowhere near his heyday with the Atlanta Braves.

Young, on the other hand, entered the season with relatively high expectations after signing a two-year, $11M deal in the offseason. The towering 36-year-old has a 6.68 ERA, and has particularly struggled with the long ball. Young is known to be a ground ball pitcher, but is giving up 3.62 home runs per nine innings, while his HR/FB rate is 24.1 percent.

Young isn’t expected to miss more than the 15-day allotment, but Medlen’s status is still up in the air. In the meantime, Gee and Duffy could be major upgrades.

Gee joined the Royals this season in a relief role and is thriving. The 30-year-old has a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, though his walks have been a concern and his FIP is above five. As recently as 2014, Gee posted a 4.00 ERA with 6.16 K/9 in 22 starts and it’s possible he can replicate those numbers going forward.

Duffy is a former top prospect who failed as a starter, but has thrived in a bullpen role. Duffy currently has a 3.00 ERA with an impressive 10.50 K/9 rate while only allowing 0.50 HR/9. At 27, it’s possible Duffy can translate his confidence as a reliever into results as a starter.

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It’s unclear if Duffy will remain in the rotation long-term, but it’s possible if he plays well and Medlen’s injury proves to be serious. If the back-end of the Royals rotation doesn’t improve quick, the team may see themselves further slip into the depths of the AL Central.

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