Alex Rios to land on disabled list with a fracture in his left hand

The Royals received X-rays on Alex Rios' hand and the results were not good, revealing a fracture in his left hand  according to Andy McCullough of the Star. Rios was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning of Monday's game against the Twins by reliever J.R. Graham. There is no time-table for his return, but he will be placed on the disabled list with a corresponding roster move to be announced.

Alex Rios was hitting .321/.345/.464 with 1 HR 8 RBI in seven games with the Royals after signing a one-year deal with them last winter. The 34-year old right-fielder was also battling a thumb injury, and had battled minor thumb and ankle injuries in 2014 with the Rangers.

The Royals will likely cover right-field by moving Lorenzo Cain to right-field and starting Jarrod Dyson, who has just one plate appearance this season. The Royals will likely still want to call up an outfielder to provide enough depth to give Alex Gordon rest as he recovers from wrist surgery. The top candidates would be Omaha outfielders Brett Eibner, Reymond Fuentes, and Moises Sierra.

The right-handed Eibner destroyed pitches in spring training, and is off to a good  start with the Stormchasers hitting .333/.429/.750 with a home run in three games. The speedy left-handed Reymond Fuentes is hitting .364/.462/.455 in three games, but may profile too similarly to Paulo Orlando. The right-handed hitting Moises Sierra is hitting .313/.389/.375 in four games with Omaha, and was one of the last cuts in camp. The Royals may opt for the positional versatility of Whit Merrifield, but Whit is off to a poor start, hitting just .235/.287/.294 after being one of the last cuts in camp.

The Royals lead the league in hit batters, with twelve.