MLB notes: Royals OF Alex Gordon goes on DL; Yordano Ventura reinstated

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost joked that nobody had better steal Alex Gordon’s crutches, only to watch his star outfielder walk slowly into a news conference without any Thursday.

The doctors may be saying that Gordon will be out for eight weeks with a severe groin strain, but he already seemed to defy them just one day after getting hurt.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get back out there quicker,” he said.

Gordon was injured in the fourth inning of Wednesday night’s game against Tampa Bay. He crumpled to the field near the warning track and lay there for several minutes, eventually needing a cart to leave the field. He later underwent an MRI that revealed the extent of the injury.

“The news is obviously tough. I mean, I want to be out there every day,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t good, especially with the season we’re having. To be carted off and thinking that’s going to be taken away for a while, it’s frustrating.”

Yost said that the MRI revealed a “two-plus groin strain,” and that the one positive is that Gordon will not need surgery.

Still, the clubhouse leader is supposed to be on crutches for a while, and he will almost certainly do no baseball activities for several weeks.

Not only is the four-time Gold Glove winner one of the best defensive players in baseball, he was also the Royals’ hottest hitter. He had seven hits, reached base eight times and drove in six runs during a doubleheader sweep of Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

“Put it this way, when I really screw up in a game, I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and have this pit in my stomach, right?” Yost said. “I woke up last night and had that horrible feeling in my stomach, and I said, ‘Wait a minute, I didn’t screw up. And we’re not on a losing streak.’ And then it hit me, Alex Gordon. So it runs deep.”

Yost said that Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando would handle the vacant spot.

The Royals put Gordon on the disabled list prior to Thursday’s series finale against the Rays, one of several roster moves they made.

Right-hander Yordano Ventura was activated from the DL to make the start and took the victory.

Gardner added to A.L. roster

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner is an All-Star for the first time, picked as a replacement for the Royals’ Gordon.

Gardner was on the fan ballot for the A.L.’s final roster spot but was fourth behind 3B Mike Moustakas, 2B Brian Dozier and OF Yoenis Cespedes.

Clearing the bases

A person familiar with the situation said 3B Casey McGehee agreed to terms on a contract with the Marlins, where he played last year and won the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year award. McGehee, 32, was designated for assignment June 30 by the Giants. … Mets LHP Steven Matz has a partially torn muscle in his upper back that will sideline the impressive rookie at least a month – probably longer. The Mets revealed Matz was diagnosed with a partial tear of the lat muscle on his left side.