Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund will make major-league debut on Tuesday

Searching for reinforcements for a thinning starting rotation, the Royals will turn to left-hander Eric Skoglund on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Skoglund, 24, will make his major-league debut against the Detroit Tigers, filling in for an injured Nathan Karns, who remains on the disabled list. Skoglund’s promotion comes as the Royals look to patch together their starting rotation following the loss of Danny Duffy on Monday.

Duffy was placed on the 10-day disabled list and could miss six to eight weeks. Karns will miss his first start on Tuesday night after a rainout last week in New York. He could, however, be in danger of missing another start, Royals manager Ned Yost said Tuesday.

Skoglund, a third-round pick out of Central Florida in 2014, was 2-3 with a 4.53 ERA at Class AAA Omaha. He is coming off two strong performances, allowing a combined five runs in 14 innings in his last two starts.

A 6-foot-7 left-hander, Skoglund entered spring training as one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects. But an injury during the early days of camp delayed his spring pitching schedule. He opened the season at Class AA Northwest Arkansas before being promoted following his first start.

In addition to Skoglund, the Royals traded out relievers on Monday, recalling right-hander Kevin McCarthy while optioning Miguel Almonte to Omaha. Almonte was unlikely to be available for days after throwing 41 pitches in one inning Sunday.

McCarthy, who made his major-league debut last season, entered Monday with a 2.53 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 21  1/3 innings at Omaha.

Former first-round pick promoted

The Royals promoted left-hander Foster Griffin, a 2014 first-round pick, to Class AA Northwest Arkansas on Monday.

Griffin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-hander, was the No. 28 overall pick in the compensatory portion of the first round. Drafted out of The First Academy, a high school in Orlando, Fla., Griffin will turn 22 on July 27.

He posted a 2.86 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 56  2/3 innings in 10 starts at Class AA Wilmington.

This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund will make major-league debut on Tuesday."