Felipe Paulino looked like a candidate for a mini-breakout this season after throwing 125 innings with a 4.11 ERA and 119 strikeouts following a trade to the Royals last year, but instead the 28-year-old right-hander was placed on the disabled list with elbow soreness.
Manager Ned Yost indicated to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com that the injury is not considered serious, but Paulino has a history of elbow problems and it means both Luis Mendoza and Danny Duffy will be in the Opening Day rotation while he recovers from what is officially being called a right forearm flexor pronator strain.
They’ll join Opening Day starter Bruce Chen, plus Jonathan Sanchez and Luke Hochevar, which is a group that plays a big part in me being skeptical about the Royals’ chances of finally contending this season.
(And just because I’m still a child, this out-of-context quote from Yost about Paulino made me chuckle: “He’s a real tight-bodied guy.”)
