Duffy's next start to come in Seattle with Royals, not Arkansas with Naturals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Danny Duffy will make his long-awaited return to the mound Wednesday night in Seattle.
Duffy, sidelined with left biceps tendinitis after a bout with shoulder stiffness, has not pitched for the Royals since May 16, when the Yankees handed him his third straight poor outing. The left-hander has appeared in three rehabilitation games in the last two weeks as he readied to come back to Kansas City.
"I think I'm ready in every aspect of the word, every aspect of my game is how I feel right now," Duffy said. "Now is better than never. I'm really excited to get back out there and do my part. It's been a while since I've done my part. It'll be good. I'm excited."
Duffy most recently threw 65 pitches for Omaha on Wednesday and was scheduled to start for Double A Northwest Arkansas on Monday before being pushed into action Wednesday. He will throw a bullpen session Sunday.
Duffy's return will be a welcome one if he can recapture his success from a season ago. The Royals currently have three starting pitchers on the DL, with Jason Vargas (left flexor strain) and Yordano Ventura (ulnar nerve inflammation) joining Duffy.
Royals manager Ned Yost had previously said the club wanted to wait until Duffy could throw 100 pitches, but the team couldn't wait.
"He's going to be at 90, which is close enough for me, right now," Yost said. "Considering the circumstances, we've got three of our starters out, he's a good option for us."
Yohan Pino delivered a subpar spot start for Kansas City on Friday night, and was optioned to Omaha on Saturday. The Royals recalled right-hander Aaron Brooks to take his place. Yost said Brooks would be Kansas City's long relief man out of the pen.
In his last three starts before hitting the DL, Duffy completed just 9 2/3 innings, allowing 14 runs (13.03 ERA) on 15 hits and 10 walks (2.586 WHIP). Since then, he received a cortisone shot and rest to go along with a tweaked delivery. He now brings his hands above his head before throwing.
"I just didn't feel like everything was locked in," Duffy said. "Now I feel like everything is really flowy, rhythmic. I feel strong. My shoulder obviously feels better."
Sal to sit
Yost said he would probably give Salvador Perez a day off Sunday afternoon because of the high-90-degree heat invading Kansas City. Perez rested for the final two innings Friday night and hasn't been out of the starting lineup since June 3.
Drew Butera will start in his place.
Vargas and Ventura updates
Vargas played catch again Saturday, the third day in a row he completed the activity. He is unsure of when he'll throw off a mound. Vargas is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday, but that appears highly unlikely.
Ventura threw a bullpen session Saturday afternoon. His last start was abbreviated by right hand numbness, a symptom of inflammation of his ulnar nerve. Ventura can return from the DL on June 28.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
