David

Lough

The September call-up will need a few days off but should be available again within the next week. Lough is 5-for-17 through the first four games of his MLB career.

The Royals need another outfielder with Jarrod Dyson (lat) sidelined, but they won’t be calling up Wil Myers. Lough and catcher Manny Pina have been added to the major league roster, as expected.

Lough missed a full week after straining his right hamstring last Wednesday. The 26-year-old outfielder was a September call-up and won’t play much down the stretch.

X-rays were negative after Lough was hit in the wrist by a pitch with the bases loaded. Consider him day-to-day. The Royals may need Jeff Francoeur to start in right field on Sunday.

It was quite a feat, too, as Lough took one of the best pitchers in the game, Max Scherzer, deep. The outfielder has provided a spark to the Royals since being called up and could pop a few more to go along with a couple stolen bases, but he likely won’t hit enough to garner much attention in fantasy leagues.

Lough became the first Royals leadoff man to collect four hits in a game since Alex Gordon on Aug. 29, 2011. The outfielder had been 4-for-20 since his callup 10 days ago. He’s gotten some starts over Jeff Francoeur against right-handed pitching, but both played today with Lorenzo Cain getting a rest.

It’s just a day off for the outfielder. David Lough is starting in center field Sunday in Cain’s place.

Lough failed to earn an Opening Day roster spot despite batting .465 (20-for-43) in spring training. He’s up now, though, after hitting .340/.393/.477 with three homers and five steals at Omaha. He’ll back up at all three outfield spots.

The 28-year-old speedster had been off to a decent start this season, hitting .268/.286/.561 with a homer, eight RBI and six stolen bases through his first 41 at-bats. While the timetable for recovery is short, any injury to the ankle is something to very closely monitor for a player such as Dyson who derives all of his fantasy value from his speed. David Lough could be worth a look in very deep leagues while Dyson is out.

Lough was hit by a pitch on Saturday, but it was never a major concern. He was able to get through batting practice Sunday and should be available to start following the Royals’ off-day. Lough is batting .289 (11-for-38) though his first 12 games.