After falling through barn roof, Royals’ Brian Flynn ready to pitch

Royals left-handed relief pitcher Brian Flynn, who suffered a broken rib and three non-displaced fractures in his vertebrae in an off-season mishap, will begin a rehab stint for Class AAA Omaha on Saturday.

Flynn, 26, has been out since the beginning of spring training. He had fallen through the roof of his barn while replacing panels, a 12-foot drop onto a concrete slab.

His wife found him unconscious on the floor and called paramedics. At the time, Flynn said he felt “pretty fortunate” not to have suffered more damage.

In 2016, Flynn posted a 2.60 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. He had missed the 2015 season with a back injury. He was set to battle for a bullpen position this season in spring training.

Flynn, who played at Wichita State, appeared in five games for the Florida Marlins in 2013 and 2014 before he was obtained in a trade for Aaron Crow.

Saturday marks the second straight day a Royals relief pitcher started a rehab assignment for the Storm Chasers.

Friday, Scott Alexander tossed one inning, surrendering two hits, one walk and one run in Omaha’s 8-3, 11-inning victory at Nashville. Alexander had posted a 1.26 ERA in 10 innings this season before he was sidelined May 9 with a right hamstring strain.

The big pitching story in that game was starter Jake Junis, who pitched seven shutout innings while striking out 12.

This story was originally published May 27, 2017 at 1:16 PM with the headline "After falling through barn roof, Royals’ Brian Flynn ready to pitch."