Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar has been shut down for at least two weeks with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
McCullough reports that “the team hopes he returns by the end of May,” which suggests it could be a more serious injury. UCLs are the ligaments that lead to Tommy John surgery and 12-month recovery timetables when torn.
After years of disappointing as a starter Hochevar shifted to the bullpen last season with a ton of success, throwing 70 innings with a 1.92 ERA and 82/17 K/BB ratio. By comparison, he has a 5.44 ERA in 128 career starts.
