Kansas City Royals Eric Skoglund suspended for 80 games

The Kansas City Royals starting rotation has already taken a bit of a hit, with Eric Skoglund being suspended for 80 games.

Spring Training has not even begun, and the Kansas City Royals already have a hole in their rotation.

Eric Skoglund had been expected to battle for the fifth position in the Royals rotation, part of a battle that would include Jorge Lopez, Heath Fillmyer, and Glenn Sparkman. Instead, he will no longer be a part of that battle, as he was suspended for 80 games due to a positive test for Ostarine and Ligandrol. With this positive test, Skoglund becomes the second player on the Royals to test positive for PEDs in the past year, joining Jorge Bonifacio.

It is fair to wonder how much of a loss this really is for the Royals. Skoglund hardly looked the part of a respectable major league option last year, posting a 1-6 record, along with a 5.14 ERA in his 70 innings last year. While he did post a respectable 1.214 WHiP, he struck out only 49 batters, and allowed 12 homers.

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He was only marginally better at the AAA level. During the parts of two seasons that Skoglund has spent in Omaha, he has posted a less than inspiring 4-6 record, with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.349 WHiP. However, over his 109 innings at AAA, he has displayed the potential to be a strikeout artist, with 108 punchouts and just 29 walks.

If Skoglund could approximate that type of pitcher for the Royals, he would be a valuable back of the rotation arm, a big loss on a team that  already looks as though it will struggle to find starting pitching this year. That was the hope – that a full season in the majors would allow Skoglund to untap his potential, and to allow him to become a possible building block.

As it is, this suspension may just push back his timeline. The rest of the Royals options in the rotation do not inspire confidence, with the likes of Ian Kennedy doing his best to impersonate a dumpster fire nearly every time he sets foot on the mound. If the Royals struggle to find anything that resembles competency in the back of the rotation, Skoglund could still get that chance.

For now, Eric Skoglund is behind the eight ball when it comes to the Kansas City Royals rotation. However, by the time his suspension is over, that opportunity could still be there.