Royals place pitcher Jason Vargas on disabled list with flexor strain
The Kansas City Royals placed pitcher Jason Vargas on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a left flexor strain, retroactive to May 6, the team announced.
Vargas told reporters Friday that an examination revealed no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he hoped resume throwing next week and only miss a few starts. The left-hander's injury could still sideline him for an extended period of time, according to the Kansas City Star. The flexor muscle protects the UCL and the injury can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery.
MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reported that the Royals "do not believe" the injury to be a long-term concern. Flanagan also reported that Chris Young is expected to start for Kansas City in Vargas' spot on Sunday.
Vargas is 3-1 with a 5.26 ERA in five starts this season. He won 11 games for Kansas City last season with a 3.71 ERA.
Kansas City promoted pitcher Yohan Pino to take Vargas' roster spot.
- Jeremy Woo
