Royals reliever Luke Hochevar says his elbow feels much better
Back at Kauffman Stadium on Monday afternoon, Royals reliever Luke Hochevar said the elbow tightness that surfaced over the weekend in Seattle had subsided.
Hochevar threw a side session before the series opener against the Washington Nationals. He was expected to be available on Monday night.
“Just normal stuff,” Hochevar said of the ailment. They “just gave me a day,” he said. “That’s really it. … No lingering effects.”
Hochevar rested for two days after throwing a scoreless inning in a 1-0 loss at Seattle on Friday. The tightness came after the outing, Royals manager Ned Yost said. The Royals elected to give Hochevar the rest of the weekend off.
“It felt remarkably better yesterday, but still a little tightness in there,” Yost said on Monday. “Today, it’s all gone.”
Hochevar, 32, has posted a 2.61 ERA in 10 1/3 innings across 11 appearances this season. He entered Monday with 11 strikeouts and three walks. He also underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow before the 2014 season and returned last year, a fact that caused Yost a tinge of anxiety.
“It scares me a little bit,” Yost said, before stressing: “It was very, very minor.”
Rustin Dodd: 816-234-4937, @rustindodd. Download True Blue, The Star’s Royals app.
This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Royals reliever Luke Hochevar says his elbow feels much better."