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A few weeks ago, when I asked what you were looking for from the Royals in spring training, the most common response was “to stay healthy.” Well through just two weeks, the Royals have already failed with a resounding thud.
It was little surprise when we learned Jesse Hahn would be out until June as he recovers from a UCL injury. It was more shocking when we learned that Salvador Perez needed Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire season. Danny Duffy is experiencing shoulder tightness and is questionable for the start of the season. Now, right-handed pitcher Trevor Oaks is expected to miss several months of the season following hip surgery yesterday.
Royals prospect Trevor Oaks had hip surgery on Thursday morning after getting a second opinion. Oaks indicated the surgery was a little more extensive than he originally thought it would be, though he is very glad he had it done. He can resume baseball activities in four months.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) March 7, 2019
Oaks first noticed the injury on March 6, although Rustin Dodd of The Athletic suggests that Oaks may have been suffering from the injury last year, when he suffered a drop in velocity. The Royals acquired Oaks from the Dodgers before last season. The 25-year old was a Pacific Coast League All-Star last season, with a 3.23 ERA in 22 starts for Omaha, pitching in 13 2⁄3 innings for the Royals. He was expected to compete for a rotation spot, but instead will miss nearly the entire season.
Hopefully the Royals can remain injury-free the rest of camp, but I would recommend putting Kyle Zimmer in bubble wrap just in case.