The Royals placed Alex Gordon on the disabled list with a torn hip labrum and recalled fellow outfielder Abraham Almonte from Triple-A Omaha before Tuesday night's game against Seattle.
Gordon woke up with pain on Monday and was examined in greater detail Tuesday, and the results showed that an old tear he'd been playing through had worsened.
Royals manager Ned Yost was hopeful the recovery time will be 10 days to two weeks, and surgery is not being considered at this point. But the Royals want to see how Gordon responds over the next week.
The three-time All-Star was hitting just .174 through his first seven games.
Almonte, 28, was claimed off waivers from Cleveland on April 2 and took the roster spot of pitching prospect Miguel Almonte, who was designated for assignment and traded to the Angels last week.
Abraham Almonte will wear No. 45 with the Royals. In parts of three seasons with the Indians, he hit .254 with 37 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs and 56 RBIs. He was suspended 80 games for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone in 2016.
Gordon, 34, inked a franchise record four-year, $72 million contract with the Royals in the 2015-16 offseason. At the time, the left fielder had made three consecutive All-Star teams and been one of the key factors in the Royals’ return to prominence in the American League Central. From 2011-15, Gordon slashed .281/.359/.450 (121 OPS+) and took home four Gold Glove Awards. Baseball-Reference pegged his efforts at 27.2 wins above replacement in that five-year peak, while Fangraphs credited him with 24 WAR.
However, Gordon’s production immediately went south in the first season of a four-year contract that has transformed from a cause for celebration among Royals fans to an albatross deal for the franchise. Since Opening Day 2016, Gordon has posted a woeful .213/.300/.343 slash in 1071 plate appearances, missing time along the way with a fractured right wrist (in May 2016). He’s still owed $20 million in 2018 and 2019, plus a $4 million buyout of a mutual option for the 2020 season.
