The Royals’ Tommy John list keeps growing, and Luinder Avila is now part of it.
Manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday that Avila and Stephen Kolek will undergo the same procedure that already sidelined Cole Ragans and Ryan Bergert earlier this season. It’s a rough run for a pitching staff that may be piling up more of these surgeries than anyone else in baseball.
Quatraro was asked whether the club would look into why so many arms are going down. His answer was measured, but it made clear the team isn’t ignoring the pattern.
“It’s one of those things that not every injury is for the same reason, and not all these guys do the exact same thing. And some of them may have had some pre-existing things,” Quatraro said.
“Some of them come for different reasons. So we’ll absolutely evaluate it.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been through this before in some spots where things they kind of come in bunches, and then you go a while, and you don’t have them. But we will evaluate everything.”
Avila, for his part, posted an update after the surgery and seemed to be in good spirits, sharing a smiling photo and a translated Instagram message that began, “All Good ✊🏿,”
He followed that with: “Thank you God and you guys for all your prayers my surgery was a success 👏🏿
“Another test I was living what I one day dreamed of when I was little but to work hard to come back and become a superstar and be able to help bring a championship to this beautiful city KC💙
“Thank you Venezuela Your world champion is doing well 🥇🥷🏿”
The image drew attention because it appears inverted, with Avila - a right-hander - showing his left arm in a sling. The photo itself suggests the surgery was on the correct arm, despite the odd visual.
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