Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (48) is attended to by medical staff after being hit by a line drive Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Royals' Ryan Yarbrough hits 15-day IL after taking 106 mph line drive to face

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 5/9/23

Kansas City Royals pitcher Ryan Yarbrough is going to have to sit for some time in order to recover from injuries he sustained when a line drive rocketed back toward his face at 106 miles per hour a few days ago.

It was the top of the sixth inning with Yarbrough defending a slim 2-1 lead over the Oakland Athletics. He sent a pitch right down the middle to A's first baseman Ryan Noda, who promptly rocketed the pitch right back to the pitcher.

Before Yarbrough could even react, he was already on the ground holding his face.

Scary situation today.

My friend and former teammate at ODU, Ryan Yarbrough, got drilled in the face with a 106mph comebacker.

Hoping everything is ok. He was able to walk off.

pic.twitter.com/rO8MRg467F
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) May 7, 2023

Yarbrough played a role in getting the out because the ball dribbled back to the catcher and the Royals were able to throw Noda out at first. Yarbrough also miraculously walked off with a towel over his face, but he'll now need time to rest up and heal.

Matt Quatraro, Royals manager, told the media that Yarbrough suffered three non-displaced fractures around his right eye.

"He's stable, improving," Quatraro said on Monday, per ESPN. "He never lost consciousness. He's very aware of what's going on around him. We don't think at this time [the injuries] will require surgery. He's getting further testing, and we'll have a better idea [of his prognosis] in the next 24 hours."

"We're going to have a lot better idea in the next day or so. If you think about broken bones that don't require surgery, they heal within four to six weeks," Quatraro continued. "But that's just for those bones. He has to have activity and those types of things."

Yarbrough is 1-4 with a 6.15 ERA this season in 10 appearances with three starts.

More must-reads: