Royals will wait to decide on starter for Tuesday — though signs point to right-hander Dillon Gee

On Saturday afternoon, the Royals’ official game notes listed their fifth starter position thusly: TBA. For now, the mystery is still intact.

The Royals have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. Manager Ned Yost said the club was still mulling the decision, though right-hander Dillon Gee is positioned as a slight favorite to draw the assignment over left-hander Brian Flynn.

“Dillon Gee is built up,” Yost said. “Flynn is not.”

Flynn made his first start for the Royals on Tuesday in a 7-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings before Yost turned the game over to Gee.

With an off day on Thursday, the Royals elected to skip the fifth starter’s spot in the rotation, which will come tomorrow. But they will require another arm on Tuesday.

For now, the Royals lack great alternatives beyond Gee, Flynn and veteran right-hander Chris Young. Right-hander Kris Medlen is recovering from a shoulder strain suffered during a rehab assignment. Left-hander Mike Minor is currently in Arizona, throwing to live hitters as he builds his pitch count back up.

“There’s just not a lot of options right now, unless you go and make a deal for somebody,” Yost conceded on Saturday.

With eight days before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the Royals find themselves in a delicate situation. The club entered Saturday just 4 1/2 games out of the second American League wild card spot, and another arm could be a necessity in a second-half push for the playoffs. Yet the Royals could also find themselves in position to sell before the deadline, which makes the current calculus somewhat hazy.

Right-hander Edinson Volquez, designated hitter Kendrys Morales and reliever Luke Hochevar will all be free agents after the season and could net positive value in a deadline deal.

For the moment, the Royals lack a permanent solution for the final spot in their rotation. On Saturday, Yost stressed that the club must push forward.

“It’s like playing cards,” Yost said. “You can’t wish for a certain hand. You get dealt a hand and you play it the best you can. Our options are what they are. We got guys that can piggy-back off each other and hopefully get us through five or six with the lead and turn it over to the pen.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Royals will wait to decide on starter for Tuesday — though signs point to right-hander Dillon Gee."