The Royals have placed third baseman Hunter Dozier on the 10-day injured list due to thorax tightness on his right side. The Royals will make a corresponding move before Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox. Dozier would be eligible to be activated on June 10. Dozier has been out since leaving Thursday’s game against Texas. Dozier has enjoyed a career season this year, hitting .314/.398/.589 with 11 home runs in 52 games and he has been a 2 WAR player so far, according to Baseball Reference.
The injury will give a longer look at Cheslor Cuthbert, who was called up last week to replace Chris Owings, who was designated for assignment on Friday. Cuthbert homered in his first game back with the Royals, and is 5-for-12 (.417) but with six strikeouts over the weekend. The 26-year old was hitting .310/.370/.528 with eight home runs in 51 games for Triple-A Omaha.
The injury leaves the Royals with just 11 position players, so it seems likely they would call up a hitter. Lucas Duda is 6-for-18 on his rehab assignment in Omaha and could be close to returning. Kelvin Gutierrez has also returned to action for Omaha after spending time on the injured list. Other hitters on the 40-man roster include catcher Meibrys Viloria, and outfielders Jorge Bonifacio and Brett Phillips.