Yordano Ventura Injury: Updates on Royals Pitcher's Elbow and Return

Updates from Monday, June 2

Andy McCullough of The Kansas City Star provides a statement from Royals manager Ned Yost discussing Yordano Ventura's recovery:

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For now, the fear surrounding Ventura’s right elbow has faded. He will throw a more rigorous bullpen session on Monday at Busch Stadium, and the team has penciled him into his regularly scheduled appearance on Thursday against St. Louis.

'He’s on track,' manager Ned Yost said.

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Updates from Tuesday, May 27

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports provides an update on Yordano Ventura's injury and recovery:

Original Text:

Kansas City Royals burgeoning star pitcher Yordano Ventura went from electrifying to pedestrian on Monday night, and an injured elbow may be the reason. 

The Kansas City Star's Andy McCullough revealed the frightening news: 

The Royals aren't concerned, but don't put too much stock into that as Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan reminds us:

Ventura, the 23-year-old fireballer, has routinely hit triple digits this season, establishing himself as one of the brightest young pitchers in the game. Entering Monday, he had a 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. 

Things quickly fell apart against the Houston Astros, though, and he was forced to leave after surrendering five runs through just 2.2 innings. FanGraphs' Jeff Zimmerman noted Ventura's velocity had fallen off of a cliff, explaining the ineffectiveness: 

The baseball world has already lost Jose Fernandez, and if Ventura's injury is serious, it would be a crippling blow not only to the Royals, but also to fans in general. CBS Sports' Chris Towers put it simply:

As Passan noted, however, it's still far too early to jump to any conclusions: 

Still, this is enough to ruin almost anyone's Monday night. Ventura is one of the most exciting young players in the business, and hopefully Tuesday's MRI reveals some encouraging news.