Update on injured Royals: Vargas plays catch, Rios hits off tee
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Injured left-hander Jason Vargas is slowly progressing through his throwing program as he makes his return from a left flexor strain.
Vargas has played catch the last two days but has not thrown off a mound yet. He expects to throw a bullpen session in the next few days.
He also wasn't sure if he would need a rehabilitation assignment in the minors before he returned to the rotation, saying it would depend on how his arm felt after throwing off the mound.
Vargas landed on the disabled list May 8 with the injury and Friday's game is the second scheduled start he missed. Chris Young has started both times in place of Vargas.
In five games this season, Vargas is 3-1 with a 5.26 ERA.
Rios swings
Outfielder Alex Rios, recovering from a fractured left hand, has taken swings off a tee with a fungo bat, manager Ned Yost said. Fungo bats are lighter than normal bats and easier to swing for a player recovering from a hand injury.
Yost said Rios has been throwing all along and said he was right on schedule. He added that Rios would likely have to play through a little discomfort once he does return from the injury.
Rios hasn't played since April 13, when he took a 94-mph J.R. Graham pitch on the hands. He left the game and hasn't played in the Royals' last 28 games.
Paulo Orlando (.230/.269/.378) and Jarrod Dyson (.196/.237/.286) have split time in right field during Rios' absence.
Young stretched out
The right-hander is capable of delivering a full start of about 100 or 105 pitches on Friday night, Yost said. Young has maxed out at 83 pitches this season after working primarily out of the bullpen to this point.
Young spent the first 10 seasons of his career almost exclusively as a starter, but hasn't thrown at least 100 pitches since July 31 of last season.
Blanton still in the organization
Right-hander Joe Blanton, signed by the Royals in the offseason to a minor league deal, did not opt out of his contract on Friday. Blanton's contract had an opt-out clause for May 15 if he was not on the major league roster.
Blanton, a 10-year veteran with Oakland, Philadelphia and both Los Angeles teams, has spent the season with Triple A Omaha so far, going 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA. He has topped out at seven innings and twice thrown six scoreless frames.
Blanton provides pitching depth for the organization, but how he fits into the roster is unknown. The Royals 40-man roster is already full without Blanton, meaning Kansas City would have to designate for assignment one of those players to make room for him. The club's active roster is also a logjam, with most of the pitchers out of options and the team already using a short bench.
Blanton, 34 years old, last pitched in the majors in 2013 for the Angels. That season, he gave up 29 home runs in 28 appearances on the way to a 2-14 record and 6.04 ERA.
Mondesi and Zimmer moving forward
Top prospect Raul Mondesi will report to Double A Northwest Arkansas on Friday night. He had been rehabbing a back injury in Arizona.
Mondesi, a shortstop tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect across baseball, had just three at-bats with Northwest Arkansas this season before the injury. He spent all of last season at high A Wilmington, slashing .211/.256/.354.
Kyle Zimmer, considered the club's top pitching prospect, threw a bullpen session on Friday and did not feel any shoulder discomfort. Zimmer and other pitching prospect Sean Manaea are both on track to report to the minors in late May to early June.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
