Royals’ Ian Kennedy exits last spring outing early because of hamstring issue

The sight was ominous. The reasoning was simply precautionary.

Starter Ian Kennedy walked off the mound early Wednesday after throwing just three innings and 43 pitches in his final outing of the spring. The official reason was listed as hamstring tightness. Kennedy said he expects to make his first start of the season Tuesday, when the Royals play the New York Mets at 3:15 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium.

“We were going to be cautious with it,” Kennedy said. “It’s just a spring training game. I know our goal is to start on Tuesday.”

As the Royals lost 5-1 to Texas in their final game at Surprise Stadium, Kennedy allowed two earned runs in three innings before the hamstring ailment surfaced near the end of the third. Kennedy landed awkwardly on his left foot during his second-to-last pitch. For a moment, he said it felt like a cramp. He returned to warm up before the bottom of the fourth. But after experiencing some minor discomfort, the Royals’ training staff opted to shut him down. Kennedy was only slated to pitch four innings. Instead, he walked back to the dugout with trainer Nick Kenney.

“I just felt like it was cramping up, and I just wanted to be careful,” Kennedy said. “And Ned (Yost) was just like: ‘You’ve only got one more inning anyway.’ So that was the plan. Just to be cautious.”

Kennedy joked that he may have drunk too much coffee. But he had a reason to be concerned: A year ago, he strained a hamstring in his season-opening start for the San Diego Padres. The injury forced him to the disabled list. It lingered for much of the first half, limiting his effectiveness.

When the Royals signed Kennedy to a five-year, $70 million contract in the offseason, they inspected the health of his hamstring. Kennedy passed the tests. He said he’s experienced no recurring issues. Even on Wednesday, he said the discomfort felt different.

“I’ve had the hamstring before, and it doesn’t feel like” it did Wednesday, Kennedy said. “Not even close to what I did before. So that’s good. (We’re) just trying to be careful with it, more than anything.”

The injury marked the only tangible drama in the Royals’ final official game of the Cactus League. The club will have a day off Thursday before finishing its spring with a two-game set Friday and Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix. Most of the regulars will return to Kansas City by Saturday morning, preparing for opening night against the New York Mets on Sunday.

Edinson Volquez is set to start the opener, while Kennedy is slotted to take the mound in the second game of the series. On Wednesday, Royals manager Yost said he did not envision having to shuffle his rotation to protect Kennedy.

“We’re going to see where he’s at,” Yost said. “We’ve got 48 hours to make a decision, if we want to adjust (Yordano) Ventura’s load or Chris Young’s — whatever we want to do. But we’re going to wait tomorrow and see where we’re at.”

The Royals have the luxury of three days off during the first week. If Kennedy needed more rest, the Royals could slide Ventura or possibly Young into Tuesday’s start and push back Kennedy to at least April 8. Young is scheduled to start Friday in Phoenix before returning for the fourth game of the season April 9. Ventura will pitch Saturday and make his regular-season debut April 8.

For now, the Royals do not think a change will be necessary. Neither does Kennedy, who struck out four Rangers on Wednesday. He finished the Cactus League with a 6.30 ERA.

The results followed his spring theme. For most of March, Kennedy has been plagued by inconsistent fastball command and a propensity to give up homers. The latter can be blamed, in part, on the hitter-friendly conditions of the Cactus League. The former will need to be sharper in the coming weeks. For now, Kennedy is focusing on making his start Tuesday.

“I’m still going to approach it that way,” Kennedy said. “I’ve got the day off (Thursday). I’ve got an extra day’s rest, so that’s good.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 3:21 PM.