Jason Vargas: (Elbow) Has UCL Tear

The Royals have placed left-hander Jason Vargas on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his elbow, an injury that typically requires season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Vargas already has spent two stints on the disabled list this season because of the elbow.

The Royals filled his spot in the rotation by recalling Yordano Ventura.

Vargas left in the second inning Tuesday night against the Pittsburg Pirates after throwing 26 pitches with pain in his left elbow.

The club had asked him to shoulder the responsibility of being the opening day starter and extended him a $23 million contract.

The 32-year-old veteran had just returned from the disabled list, which necessitated Ventura’s demotion, after missing six weeks because of a strained left flexor muscle. “He feels like with his performance a little bit that he’s letting everybody down, which is not the case”.

The hard-throwing Ventura made a splash as a rookie last season for the Royals, posting a 14-10 record with a 3.20 ERA in 30 starts. Unfortunately, everything came falling down afterwards as he allowed at least four earned runs in four of his next five starts, skyrocketing his ERA from 2.31 to 5.36! Each bobblehead released during the 2015 series commemorates a milestone for the club.