Royals still waiting, hoping on outfielder Lorenzo Cain

Royals manager Ned Yost expressed hope Sunday that outfielder Lorenzo Cain will be back in the lineup Monday when the club opens a three-game series against the Twins in Minnesota.

Battling a sore wrist and hand, Cain missed his fourth straight game — and fifth straight day — as the Royals lost to the Detroit Tigers 6-5 on Sunday afternoon. Kansas City is 1-3 with Cain out of the lineup.

Cain has been battling a wrist issue for weeks, but it came to a head earlier this week. After a close loss Tuesday night, the Royals elected to give Cain a couple of days of rest. Those days have now turned into something longer as the swelling in Cain’s wrist has been slow to go away.

When asked if Cain would be available if this were a playoff game, Yost suggested that the answer was no.

“Will he be able to (play) tomorrow? Hopefully,” Yost said. “That’s the hope.”

▪ Left fielder Alex Gordon, who is nursing a sore ankle, was also out of the starting lineup on Sunday. But he pinch hit for Raul Mondesi during the seventh inning and entered the game in left field.

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Royals still waiting, hoping on outfielder Lorenzo Cain."