TORONTO _ For the 2016 Royals, a team often measured by trips to the disabled list and All-Stars on the mend, few pieces of news can hit harder than this: On Tuesday afternoon, in the hours before a night game against the Blue Jays, the club placed closer Wade Davis on the disabled list with a right forearm strain.
The Royals will disclose more information about the severity of Davis' strain later on Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, they summoned right-hander Brooks Pounders from Class AAA Omaha to fill the vacant spot in the bullpen. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club designated left-hander Tyler Olson for assignment.
Davis becomes the latest All-Star to land on the disabled list in 2016. The ledger looks like this: Third baseman Mike Moustakas is out for the season with a torn right ACL; left fielder Alex Gordon missed close to a month with a broken bone in his right hand; center fielder Lorenzo Cain will be on the disabled list until after the All-Star break after suffering a left hamstring strain.
The list does not include All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, who missed a week after suffering a quad contusion. It does not include right-handers Chris Young and Kris Medlen, who have missed time with arm injuries, or outfielder Brett Eibner, who spent time on the 15-day disabled list after spraining his ankle.
If the 2015 Royals were somewhat fortunate in the injury department _ save for a groin injury to Alex Gordon and season-ending arm injuries to Greg Holland and Jason Vargas _ the 2016 edition has been an exercise in attrition.
Davis' trip to the disabled list is retroactive to Friday. He would be eligible to return on July 16 at Detroit, the second game following the All-Star break. For now, his prognosis is uncertain. A forearm strain can often be a precursor to more serious issues involving the ulnar collateral ligament, the ligament associated with Tommy John surgery. Yet Davis has also proved relatively durable during his four seasons in Kansas City.
He has also been dominant. Since transitioning to the bullpen in 2014, Davis has posted a 1.01 ERA in 168 2/3 innings, asserting himself as one of the preeminent relievers in the game. He recorded a 0.94 ERA in 67 1/3 innings in 2015, backing up a breakout season in 2014. He took over the Royals' closer spot last September after Holland was shut down with a season-ending elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. In eight appearances in the postseason, Davis threw 10 2/3 scoreless innings and recorded four saves while striking out 18 batters. He was on the mound when the Royals clinched the American League pennant against Toronto and the second world championship in franchise history at Citi Field in New York.
In 30 appearances this season, Davis has logged a 1.23 ERA and 19 saves, likely good enough to earn his second straight All-Star appearance. But he has not matched the dominance of his last two seasons, at least relative to his lofty standards.
He has recorded 28 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings. His WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.02, a stellar number, yet higher than his 0.85 WHIP in 2014 an 0.79 mark last season.
He blew his second save of the season last week in St. Louis, allowing a run on two hits and a walk in an eventual 3-2 victory.
A previous forearm strain landed Davis on the disabled list in 2011, when he was a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Davis was acquired by the Royals before the 2013 season in a blockbuster trade that sent top prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi, among others, to Tampa Bay in exchange for starter James Shields, Davis and infielder Elliot Johnson. Davis spent the 2013 season as a struggling starter before transforming into one of the most dominant relief weapons in baseball.
Pounders, meanwhile, was selected by the Pirates in the second round in 2009. He was dealt to the Royals on Dec. 8, 2011 in a trade that sent infielder Yamaico Navarro to Pittsburgh. A 6-foot-5, 265-pound right-hander, Pounders had a 2.80 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings for Class AAA Omaha. He made seven starts before moving to the bullpen earlier this season.
