Kansas City Royals place Daniel Lynch IV on injured list with left-shoulder strain

Jaylon Thompson
·2 min read
2

The Kansas City Royals are down another key starting pitcher. Southpaw Daniel Lynch IV was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left-shoulder strain.

Lynch, who earned his third win against the Detroit Tigers Tuesday night, dealt with a previous shoulder injury this season. He missed nearly two months to begin the 2023 campaign.

The Royals plan to take a cautious approach. But Lynch is not expected to be shut down while on the injured list. He will continue to throw and be monitored by the team’s training staff.

“It’s disappointing for Daniel just because he is pitching pretty well right now,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The good thing is that we know it’s nothing serious. It’s something we want to get under control. We are going to get into August and September where guys need to have some gas left in their tank.”

Lynch owns a 4.64 ERA in nine starts. He has struck out 34 batters and issued 16 walks in 52 1/3 innings.

Lynch experienced a dip in velocity during his Tuesday start. His fastball was down from his 92.6 mph season average, dropping as low as 89.2 mph against the Tigers.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said the team was aware of velocity dip. He noted that Lynch confronted a similar situation against the Cleveland Guardians before the All-Star break.

“When we saw that coming out of the (All-Star) break as well, after 10 or 11 days off, that was concerning,” Quatraro said.

The Royals plan to see how Lynch responds to the injury. He is likely to participate in bullpen sessions and get daily treatment on the shoulder. The Royals hope Lynch will not miss more than the required 15 days on the injured list.

“It may be the right mix to get him through October 1,” Picollo said.

In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled reliever Austin Cox from Triple-A Omaha.

Cox has impressed during his tenure with the Royals this season. He set a major-league record with the most batters faced before allowing a hit to begin his career.