Royals pitcher Danny Duffy has inflammation in left rotator cuff

The Royals could uncross their fingers and let out an exhalation after the results of an MRI examination on pitcher Danny Duffy’s shoulder revealed only inflammation in his left rotator cuff. The team announced that the tests showed Duffy’s shoulder was “structurally sound.”

At this stage in the season, no injury to a critical contributor like Duffy, 8-11 and 2.42 ERA, can be considered a positive. Still, the Royals were heartened by the result. Duffy will miss his next start, when Liam Hendriks will replace him in the rotation against Boston later this week.

The club will reassess Duffy’s condition when they return from this road trip on Thursday. Manager Ned Yost indicated that Duffy will not require an injection to quell the discomfort.

“A lot of times with these treatments, they bounce back pretty good,” Yost said. “Especially when it’s inflammation. You can kind of get it knocked out of their with the (electronic stimulation machine treatment) and all the stuff that they use.”

Duffy left his start on Saturday at Yankee Stadium after throwing only one pitch. He complained of a combination of tightness and pain in his shoulder after failing to get loose during his bullpen session before the game.

Holland gets another day off

Greg Holland, who has a tight right triceps muscle, threw a light, 15-pitch bullpen session on Monday afternoon, but Yost indicated after the game he was not available to face the Tigers. The point was moot, considering the Royals never led.

Holland has not pitched since Sept. 3. He sat out all weekend against the Yankees. Yost has been cautious with Holland and hopes he can pitch on Tuesday.

“If he shows up (Tuesday) in really good shape,” Yost said, “we’ll make a determination.

Colon to test broken finger soon

The swelling in the broken tip of backup infielder Christian Colon’s right middle finger has dipped in the six days since he was injured fielding a ground ball. Colon said he expects to test the finger during throwing drills when the team returns to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday.

Colon has still been able to field grounders during pregame drills. He does not expect batting to be an issue. Throwing will be the biggest challenge.

The team could also choose to disable Colon for the final 15 days of the season, which would open a spot on the roster if they wanted to add an ineligible player — like lefty reliever Brandon Finnegan or outfielder Carlos Peguero — to the postseason roster.

This story was originally published September 9, 2014 at 12:24 AM with the headline "Royals pitcher Danny Duffy has inflammation in left rotator cuff."