If Joakim Soria goes on the disabled list Friday as anticipated, Brandon Maurer could replace him as the eighth inning set up. The Royals are waiting results of Soria’s MRI after experiencing pain in his lower back and rib cage area while yielding four runs Tuesday.
In that game, Soria gave up four straight two-strike hits to start the inning, in what turned out to be a six-run rally by the A’s that led to a 10-8 loss for KC. After the game, manager Ned Yost said that Soria has been dealing with moderate pain for at least two weeks, and that it really flared up Tuesday and has persisted into Wednesday morning.
Maurer has been erratic since acquired in a late July trade with the Padres.