<table> </table> CLEVELAND | Third baseman Alex Gordon returned to the ranks of the walking wounded after leaving Thursday&#8217;s game for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning because of tightness in his upper right quadriceps muscle.</p><p>Gordon felt a twinge in his quad while charging Jamey Carroll&#8217;s grounder in the third inning. Gordon aggravated the injury while fielding Franklin Gutierrez&#8217;s grounder for the final out in the fourth.</p><p>&#8220;Hopefully, it&#8217;s not much,&#8221; Gordon said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll see (today).&#8221;</p><p>Gordon missed the series opener Tuesday because of tightness in his lower back.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Gathright returns</span></strong></p><p>Outfielder Joey Gathright replaced Mitch Maier on the roster. He arrived just before the game after spending nine games at Class AAA Omaha on a rehab assignment while recovering from a bone bruise on his right shoulder.</p><p>Gathright had just five hits in 33 at-bats for the O-Royals.</p><p>He is batting .251 in 82 big-league games with a club-leading 21 steals.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Rotation options</span></strong></p><p>The Royals remain cagey on their plans regarding starting pitchers for Saturday and Sunday against the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. They continue to list both spots as TBA &#8212; to be announced.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got some ideas,&#8221; manager Trey Hillman said, &#8220;but not anything we&#8217;re ready to divulge yet.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals are down two starters after sending Kyle Davies to the minors and Luke Hochevar suffered a bone bruise and a strained muscle in his rib cage.</p><p>Davies is the logical choice for Saturday but can only be recalled from Omaha to replace a player put on the disabled list. Otherwise optioned players must remain in the minors for at least 10 days.</p><p>The Royals have a DL candidate in reliever Ron Mahay, who has made just one appearance since Aug. 6 because of an injured foot. Mahay&#8217;s time could be backdated to Aug. 17.</p><p>The choice for Sunday &#8212; Hochevar&#8217;s slot &#8212; is likely to be Brandon Duckworth or just-signed Kip Wells. Summoning Duckworth would require the club to clear space on its 25-man and 40-man rosters.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Minor details</span></strong></p><p>Reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta pitched three scoreless innings Wednesday and got the victory when Omaha rallied past Memphis 7-6. Yabuta struck out four, walked one and didn&#8217;t allow a hit.</p><p>It continued a recent upswing for Yabuta, whom the Royals signed last November in hopes he could replace departed David Riske as the club&#8217;s primary right-handed setup reliever.</p><p>Yabuta has allowed just one earned run in his last 13 innings over five appearances. He also has 16 strikeouts, but also six walks, in that span.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Etc.</span></strong></p><p>&#8226;Mike Aviles remains an ongoing bright spot for the Royals. He had two of their eight hits and raised his average to .328. He was seven for 13 in the series.</p><p>&#8226;Zack Greinke is 1-5 in nine career starts at Progressive Field.