Alex Gordon to begin rehab assignment Sunday as Royals return nears

The best team in the American League is about to add their MVP from last season back to their already deep lineup.

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters Thursday that Alex Gordon will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday and be there for at least a week.

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Sidelined since July 9 after severely straining his left groin chasing a fly ball in left field the night before, there’s no set date for Gordon’s return, but he seems like a good bet to rejoin the Royals when rosters expand from 25 players to 40 on Sept. 1 at the latest.

Kansas City has held strong without Gordon, going 24-13 in his absence, and have the best record in the AL at 73-46 heading into Thursday’s games.

With Gordon expected to miss the better parts of two months, the Royals went out and acquired Ben Zobrist from Oakland before the trade deadline because of his ability to play both the outfield and infield. With a healthy Gordon, Kansas City’s strongest lineup will feature him in left field and Zobrist at second base, where he’s been playing this week.

Gordon wasn’t merely the best player on a Royals team that made a run to the World Series last year, he was among the best players in baseball. Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen were the only position players with a better fWAR than Gordon in 2014.

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He was having an even better year at the plate this season, hitting .279/.394/.457 in 78 games. The Royals have their eye on getting back to the World Series. Getting Gordon back in the fold obviously solidifies Kansas City’s status as the team to beat in the AL.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr