The Kansas City Royals have provided a health update on left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough after he took a 106 mph comebacker to the face during the team’s 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics Sunday.
“We appreciate all the support for Ryan Yarbrough and the patience from fans and the media,” the Royals said in a statement Monday. “We’re happy to share that Ryan is stable and improving and never lost consciousness. He sustained multiple non-displaced fractures, and we do not believe he will need surgery. Ryan is undergoing more testing today, and we will share his progress as we can.”
Yarbrough took a line drive just above the left temple from Athletics first baseman Ryan Noda in the top of the sixth inning. The 31-year-old immediately fell to the ground as the ball ricocheted back towards home plate. Royals catcher Salvador Perez fielded the ball and fired it to first to retire Noda.
Royals medical personnel tended to Yarbrough on the mound, who walked off the field under assistance with a towel over his face. Kansas City placed Yarbrough on the 15-day injured list after he suffered multiple head fractures. The Royals recalled right-hander Jose Cuas from Triple-A Omaha.
“It was scary,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “The dugout went silent. Your heart drops there. Got a pit in your stomach. I can’t think of a worse thing to see on the field. Luckily, when we got out there, he was talking and aware of what was going on and what had happened. But he was swollen immediately. There was some blood. You just didn’t know exactly where it was coming from.”
Royals place Ryan Yarbrough on 15-day injured list after head injury
Yarbrough is in his first season with Kansas City after signing a one-year, $3 million deal this past offseason. He has appeared in 10 games (three starts), sporting a 1-4 record with a 6.15 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched.
Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, Yarbrough spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. He appeared in 127 games (59 starts), going 40-31 with a 4.33 ERA. Yarbrough racked up 467 strikeouts and 131 walks in 579.2 innings pitched.
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