Kansas City Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough will make his MLB return. Here are the details
.jpg "Kansas City Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough is set to make his return on Sunday, July 9, 2023, against the Guardians.")
The Kansas City Royals are expected to activate veteran pitcher Ryan Yarbrough prior to Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Yarbrough will start against Guardians ace Shane Bieber. It will be his first start since being struck in the face with a line drive on May 7. Yarbrough was placed on the 60-day injured list with skull fractures.
In four rehab appearances, Yarbrough has tallied a 2.55 ERA across 17 2/3 innings. He’s allowed five runs and struck out 20 batters.
On Tuesday, Yarbrough pitched six scoreless innings with Triple-A Omaha. He allowed one walk and struck out six batters against the Gwinnett Stripers.
“He has recovered well from that mentally and physically,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He went through a rehab progression and is built up. He has gotten through six innings in the minor leagues. He feels great and is ready to go.”
Yarbrough never lost never lost consciousness during the scary incident. He underwent several tests and worked his way back to the mound.
“It’s one of those freak accidents and something that is really out of everyone’s control,” Yarbrough told reporters in May. “It wasn’t something you can really avoid. It’s an unfortunate part of the game and luckily it doesn’t happen very often.
“I’m very blessed to be here right now and feeling a lot better and progressing in the right direction.”
In June, Yarbrough made his first rehab appearance with the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Royals. He later joined Triple-A Omaha and started three games.
The Royals have pieced together their starting rotation this season. Injuries to Brad Keller, Kris Bubic and Zack Greinke have kept the rotation in flux. Bubic is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Keller is also on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Omaha.
Meanwhile, Grienke was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder tendinitis. Yarbrough will help stabilize the rotation ahead of the MLB All-Star break.
The Royals will look to snap a six-game losing streak on Sunday.
Yarbrough owns a 1.86 ERA against the Guardians in his career. He last faced the Guardians as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
His last start at Progressive Field came on July 25, 2021. Yarbrough allowed one earned run and struck out six batters.
This story was originally published July 8, 2023 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Kansas City Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough will make his MLB return. Here are the details."
