Mark Redman was projected to be one of the Royals five starting pitchers once the regular season began. Now he’ll be a spectator. Redman underwent surgery on Monday to repair torn meniscus in his left knee. That will leave him on the bench from four-to-six weeks while he recovers.
Candidates to fill his spot in the rotation include Denny Bautista, Runelvys Hernandez, Mike Wood and Jeremy Affeldt, according to Royals’ pitching coach Bob McClure. Because of how the schedule falls, the Royals were planning on using a four-man rotation to start the season anyways, so Redman’s absence, might not be as painful as it may seem.
Redman came to Kansas City during the off-season in a trade with the Pirates.
Chip Ambres hit two home runs, but his blasts weren’t enough, as the Royals fell to the Padres 8-3 in Cactus League play. Padres catcher David Ross also homered twice to lead the charge for San Diego. The Royals are now 2-2-1 in spring training.
The pitching staffs for the Cardinals and Orioles both took a beating, as Baltimore topped St. Louis 12-8 in Grapefruit League play on Monday. Cardinals reliever Braden Looper pitched for the first time since off-season shoulder surgery. He allowed a game-tying single to the first batter he saw and gave two runs off five hits in an inning of work.
