Royals’ Strahm put on hold with tendinitis

The fabulous debut season of left-handed reliever Matt Strahm has been delayed by a slight case of biceps tendinitis, Royals manager Ned Yost said Tuesday.

The Royals remain hopeful that Strahm could be available to pitch before the end of a three-game series in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Strahm, who has compiled a 2-0 record with a 0.57 ERA in 15 2/3 innings, has not pitched since last Wednesday, when he logged one scoreless inning in a 5-4 loss to the New York Yankees.

He warmed up twice on Saturday during a victory over the Detroit Tigers. But he was not available on Sunday, when Joakim Soria allowed a two-run homer in the eighth and took the loss in a 6-5 defeat.

The case of biceps tendinitis helps explain why Strahm was not available on Sunday — or in any game since. Yost said the issue surfaced near the end of the weekend.

“It’s very slight,” Yost said. “It’s just the beginning stages of biceps tendinitis. If we catch it early, he’ll be able to pitch through it.”

Strahm joined the Royals in late July after spending most of the season in the starting rotation at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. With Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar on the disabled list, Strahm turned into a revelation, helping the bullpen set a franchise record with 41 1/3 scoreless innings during a stretch in August.

The Royals have monitored his usage closely, in part because he has already set a career high with 118 innings this year. (Strahm threw 94 innings last year.) Strahm also underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2013 and missed most of the 2014 season.

The Royals have a day off on Thursday and Strahm is set to leave the club for one day on Friday after the death of his grandfather in North Dakota. He could rejoin the team on Saturday for the second game of a three-game series in Chicago.

“We’re trying to make sure that we don’t overdo it with him and get it into full-blown tendinitis,” Yost said.

Roster moves — The Royals made a collection of roster moves before Tuesday’s game, recalling infielder Christian Colon from Triple-A Omaha and selecting the contracts of outfielder Daniel Nava and reliever Kevin McCarthy.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the club has designated outfielder Reymond Fuentes and pitcher Nick Tepesch for assignment.

Colon, who was optioned to Omaha last week in a move to add relief depth, was eligible to return to the big-league roster after the Storm Chasers’ season ended. Nava was acquired in late August from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. He will likely serve as outfield depth and a potential pinch hitter down the stretch.

McCarthy, 24, was a 16th-round pick in 2013. A right-handed reliever, he posted a 3.04 ERA in 47 appearances and recorded 16 saves while pitching for Northwest Arkansas and Omaha this season.

This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Royals’ Strahm put on hold with tendinitis."