Royals place pitcher Danny Duffy on disabled list with shoulder impingement

The Royals on Monday afternoon placed starting pitcher Danny Duffy on the disabled list with shoulder impingement in his throwing arm.

Glenn Sparkman, recalled from Class AAA Omaha on Monday, will make the lefty’s next scheduled start, on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium against his old team: the Toronto Blue Jays.

Duffy, who has played through stiffness in his pitching shoulder for weeks, is eligible and expected to return Aug. 23.

He received an anti-inflammatory shot in his throwing shoulder after he allowed six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings in Saturday night’s loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. On Sunday, he said he didn’t think the problem was worrisome enough to warrant extended time off.

How long he’ll be out remains to be seen.

“I think it’ll be a quick deal,” Duffy said. “I was told a few times that if we were well within contention that I’d be still going. I believe that. I feel like I can but there’s no sense in really risking something. I don’t wanna go on the DL. That’s just me. But I trust our staff and I trust our front office. I’m gonna do what they say is best.”

Duffy, who has never pitched 200 innings in a professional season, had a 4.90 ERA in 143 1/3 innings spanning 25 starts. He was the only remaining member of the opening day rotation who hadn’t landed on the disabled list or been moved to the bullpen. But after Duffy pitched with diminished velocity on Saturday night, the Royals decided it best to give Duffy a break and avoid a more severe problem down the line.

Manager Ned Yost said on Sunday the stiffness in Duffy’s left shoulder surfaced four starts ago, when Duffy allowed the Tigers to score seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings on July 25 at The K. He posted a 7.54 ERA (19 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings) and allowed opponents to bat .320 against him in his last four games.

Toronto acquired Sparkman in the Rule 5 draft in December 2016, helped him rehab the right thumb he fractured in spring training and gave him a chance at the major-league level, as required per draft rules. But the Jays returned Sparkman to the Royals after he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits in 1/3 of an inning on July 2, 2017, his second appearance following activation from the disabled list on June 30, 2017.

Sparkman had been optioned to Omaha on Sunday to make room for the return of veteran reliever Blaine Boyer.

“The smart thing to do is just play it safe,” Yost said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 4:52 PM.