Report: Royals pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer out 6-8 weeks with lat strain

Kyle Zimmer was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 draft. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Kansas City Royals pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer will miss the next six to eight weeks with what has been diagnosed as a strained latissimus dorsi muscle, according to a report on Tuesday from Andy McCoullough of the Kansas City Star.

The muscle is located just below the right shoulder.

The 22-year-old was limited during spring training with shoulder soreness, and he felt tightness in his first regular season appearance on May 19 as his speed dropped from mid-90s to 89 miles per hour, assistant GM JJ Picollo told McCullough.

More from Piccolo in the report:

"He’s obviously down right now, because he knows it’s another six to eight weeks of no activity...We’ve had so many different images on his shoulder. We know that his shoulder’s fine. So we’ve ruled that out. I hate to say: It’s just one of those things. It’s almost a mystery."

Zimmer was the No. 5 pick in the 2012 draft and closed last season with four starts in Double-A, posting a 1.93 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. 

The Royals also saw Yordano Ventura leave his start in Monday night's 9-2 loss to the Houston Astros. Ventura has been experiencing discomfort in his right elbow and was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday.  

The Royals are currently third in the AL Central with a 24-26 record.

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