Royals All-Star Alex Gordon will miss eight weeks with groin injury
Alex Gordon won’t be starting in left field for the American League All-Star team after all, and for the Kansas City Royals, that’s not even the worst of the news. Gordon, who went down during Wednesday’s game, will miss eight weeks with what’s been termed a “Grade 2-plus” groin strain.
While being gone ’til September is bad news for the Royals, the initial worry was worse. Gordon was carted off the field and some feared it could be a season-ender. Gordon should be back for the Royals’ expected playoff run, as long as his rehab goes smoothly.
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The injury does add some intrigue to the AL Central race. When Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera went down (he’s sidelined until mid-August), it seemed like that would clear the path for the Royals to stay on top of the division. The Royals, who own the best record in the AL at 49-33, currently have a seven-game lead over the Tigers and a 4.5 game lead over the second-place Minnesota Twins. Luckily for the Royals, Jarrod Dyson can slide into a starting outfield position. He doesn’t have as good of a bat as Gordon, but he’s a speedster and a plus-defender.
As many silver linings as we can try to put on Gordon’s injury, some Royals fans are sure to be bummed out all day. Gordon’s a popular player, considered by some to be the “soul” of the team. Watching him carted off the field even inspired a crying-kid video, a modern-day market for a depressing sports moment:
As for the All-Star game, no official announcement has been made yet, but either Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles or Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue jays would likely start in Gordon’s place and another reserve will be added to Ned Yost’s roster.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
