Wade Davis injury: Second DL stint cause for long-term concern?

9:57 PM ET

When is a forearm strain in a pitcher really just a forearm strain?

The Kansas City Royals hope it’s when your name is Wade Davis.

On Sunday, the Royals announced they were placing Davis on the 15-day disabled list with a Grade 1 (mild) right forearm strain, his second such designation within a month.

In early July, Davis was placed on the DL with a forearm strain and within a week he indicated he was pain-free. He resumed throwing shortly thereafter and was reinstated when first eligible on July 16. Two days later, Davis had his first save opportunity. He secured it with three pitches against the Cleveland Indians. Clearly this forearm strain was no big thing, right? No reason to worry about something more serious, such as a significant tear in the forearm muscle, or, dare we say it, damage to the ulnar collateral (Tommy John) ligament for instance?

Ten days ago there was an easy answer to those questions. Why worry? Davis had converted two saves since coming off the DL, raising his total to 21 of 23 on the season.

Then something changed. Davis struggled in a July 27 appearance against the Angels and a few days later he was undergoing an MRI. The worst was feared. Maybe there was a bigger muscle tear than first suspected. Maybe there was a tear in the UCL after all.

Royals’ manager Ned Yost sensed the level of concern, telling reporters Sunday the MRI revealed only the mild flexor strain but “the elbow looked fine.” In other words, there was no visible damage to the ligament or any other …

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