Jonathan

Broxton

Julio Lugo, who scored the winning run on Thursday night, drove in the go-ahead run with a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth tonight. Broxton earned his second save. He’s pitched 9 1/3 scoreless innings over his last nine appearances. Because Saito isn’t as much of a workhorse as some closers, it’s likely that Broxton will be good for a couple of more saves over the rest of the year.

The procedure was deemed a success, as almost every surgery in the baseball world is. Broxton should be ready to begin full offseason workouts after about two months of rehab. He’ll become a free agent this winter.

Bad news. While the immediate concern is the possibility of Tommy John surgery, the extent of the damage isn’t yet known and the Royals didn’t announce how they’ll proceed. However, it’s worth noting that the 27-year-old right-hander previous had Tommy John surgery back in 2003. Assuming Soria ends up missing significant time, Greg Holland and Jonathan Broxton will become the favorites to close games for the Royals.

The Royals announced Monday afternoon that an MRI showed damage in the ulnar collateral ligament of Soria’s right elbow. The extent of the damage isn’t yet known, but torn UCLs usually mean Tommy John surgery. If that’s the case here, Jonathan Broxton should become the favorite for saves while Greg Holland lingers as a possibility.

The Royals haven’t tipped their hand on a replacement for Joakim Soria (elbow) yet, but Broxton has previous “closer experience” and has looked good this spring following elbow surgery, posting a 1.50 ERA and 7/3 K/BB ratio over six innings. Still, there are obvious injury concerns and Greg Holland is the better bet for the long-term.

Kendrys Morales led off the inning with a double and, after a single, came around to score on a Bobby Abreu sacrifice fly. Broxton induced a Vernon Wells double play to escape further damage and end the game. Greg Holland also looked shaky in his debut Friday, so there is no immediate danger to Broxton’s hold on the ninth-inning job.

He’ll get the day off after closing out the last two games. The Royals will likely go with Aaron Crow or Tim Collins in a late-inning role, depending on the matchup.

After a couple of shaky outings, Broxton looked like his vintage dominating self in this one. With Greg Holland on the disabled list, and a few good appearances under his belt, his leash as the closer in KC appears to be growing longer.

Soria went to see Dr. Lewis Yocum on Tuesday in Los Angeles after an MRI on Monday showed damage in the ulnar collateral ligament of his throwing elbow. The second exam confirmed the ligament damage, so surgery appears inevitable. Still, he’s currently taking a couple of days to consider his options. Jonathan Broxton should be considered the favorite to save games in his absence, but Greg Holland could also be in the mix.

Dr. Lewis Yocum performed the surgery, which went well, according to Royals’ officials. This is the second Tommy John surgery for Soria, who will miss the entire 2012 season. Royals’ manager Ned Yost has yet to name an official replacement at closer, but Jonathan Broxton and Greg Holland are the favorites for the gig.