KC Royals’ Kris Bubic getting second opinion on injury because of ‘underlying concerns’
Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic’s status remains unclear following a Monday afternoon update in which manager Matt Quatraro said the left-handed pitcher would be getting a second opinion on his arm injury.
Bubic was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a left flexor strain injury. That ailment resulted from a Saturday outing against Atlanta where Bubic’s velocity was noticeably down and he said afterward that he felt forearm tightness “fairly early” in the day.
Quatraro was asked before Monday’s game if he had an update on the severity of Bubic’s injury.
“The results were the flexor strain and some other underlying concerns that are going to require a second opinion,” Quatraro said, “and that’s what we’re waiting on right now.”
A flexor strain injury, to be clear, would not require surgery and likely would mean Bubic would be out several weeks before returning.
The question now becomes whether the second opinion and those “underlying concerns” confirm something more severe than the initial diagnosis. Quatraro said the Royals “hopefully” would know definitively about Bubic’s status by the end of the day Monday.
Because of an upcoming off-day, KC will not have to replace Bubic’s rotation spot until next week. Quatraro said the team was in the process of figuring out the best way to fill that vacancy.
Bubic, 25, was the best early story of the young Royals’ season, showing improved pitch movement in his first two starts when he struck out 13 and walked one in 11 innings.
Saturday’s results were different. Bubic allowed five runs on 10 hits in five innings in a 9-3 loss to Atlanta, saying after the game that his “stuff wasn’t very sharp.” He also threw a season-high 100 pitches through the forearm tightness he reported afterward.
Quatraro was asked Monday about communication in-game between the coaching staff and pitcher when the player might be feeling an injury.
“You’re constantly asking guys — whether you feel like there’s an issue or not — how they’re feeling, how’s it going out there, how’s your body feel, how’s your arm feel, all those kinds of things. So we have those conversations between every inning,” Quatraro said. “And if (Royals pitching coach) Brian (Sweeney) goes to the mound, that conversation goes on at that point too.
“For all of us, learning what everybody’s threshold is different. So Kris was saying that he felt OK, and obviously, when he came out of the game felt a lot worse than he did out on the mound.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 5:13 PM.
