Royals put early revelation Alec Marsh on IL after taking a liner off his pitching elbow
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Alec Marsh on the injured list Thursday after he took a 91 mph liner off his pitching elbow the previous night against the Blue Jays, putting what had been a breakout season for him on hold.
Marsh had not allowed a run when Toronto’s Addison Barger drilled a fastball at him with one out in the fifth inning Wednesday night. The ball ricocheted off Marsh’s elbow, closer to the forearm, so hard that it left an indentation of the laces.
X-rays taken after the game showed no fractures, but the ball hit near the flexor tendon and the Royals opted for caution.
“He’s got a good horseshoe there from the seams,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before the conclusion of their four-game series against the Blue Jays. “He can maybe go out there (for his next start), maybe not, but we just can’t take that chance with somebody that is that important to us going forward.”