11:24am: GM Dayton Moore says that the expectation is Rios will only miss three to six weeks of action, though it is too early to establish a precise timeline, McCullough reports (Twitter links). Dyson and Orlando will indeed share right field for the time being, Moore adds. The club may replace Rios on the roster with another pitcher.
10:50am: Royals outfielder Alex Rios fractured his left hand in yesterday’s action, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports on Twitter. It is a non-displaced fracture, MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan tweets. There is no timetable for his return as of yet, though obviously a DL stint will be in order.
Rios’s injury comes as a fairly significant disappointment for a Kansas City club that is off to a 7-0 start. Rios, 34, has played a big role in that effort, slashing .321/.345/.464 in his first 29 plate appearances while contributing a home run and two stolen bases. Signed to a one-year, $11MM contract out of free agency, the veteran represents a significant portion of the team’s payroll.
Fortunately, the Royals do have a capable replacement on hand in Jarrod Dyson, a rangy outfielder and highly productive baserunner. Despite below-average batting lines and less than 300 plate appearances in each of the last two years, Dyson has racked up 5.6 fWAR and 4.4 rWAR over that span. Of course, the team has been able to maximize his value by limiting his exposure to left-handed pitching. Right-handed-hitting rookie Paulo Orlando is also on the active roster, and could share time with Dyson in right.
Given the internal options and the teams payroll restrictions, to say nothing of Rios’s still-uncertain timeline, a significant outside addition seems unlikely at this point. Of course, hand injuries can be trouble for hitters, so the progress of Rios will be something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Come on down, Jarrod Dyson! Suddenly the Royal’s entire outfield has become a black hole again.
Cain, Dyson and Gordon are only the best defensive outfield around…
Exactly, fly balls get sucked in, nothing can escape, not even light!
They are so fast they can turn off the light and be under the covers before the room got dark
They cover so much ground that they can make Coors Field pitcher friendly
They are so fast they can field there position well……wait am i doing this right?
We will miss Rios, but I am excited to see Orlando hit triples every time he gets up for the next 3-6 weeks.
Tough for Alex. He was getting settled in with the team. Hopefully he can pick it back up when he’s healed. Meanwhile, hold down the fort Jarrod.
Of course, he’s a former Ranger
3 and 6 weeks are very different timeables.
J’Rod managed a .274/.326/.337 against righties last year plus the SBs that turned a lot of walks and singles into effective doubles. Royals should be fine with Dyson and using Orlando or calling up Eibner as platoon partner for him.
RAJ needs to be on the phone with Moore explaining the virtues of Dom Brown.
The pants on fire scenario would set off so many sprinkler systems it would severely tax the city’s water supply.