MILWAUKEE — Kansas City right-hander Yordano Ventura threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Monday at Miller Park, but he won’t make his next scheduled start, manager Ned Yost announced Monday.
Ventura was slated to face the Brewers on Wednesday back in Kansas City but instead will take the mound Friday against the Boston Red Sox. The change gives the 23-year-old two extra days to recover from numbness in his right hand that forced him from his last start after just three innings.
“What we’re doing is playing it safe and not pushing it,” Yost said before the Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5.
Ventura lost feeling in the tips of his fingers Friday at St. Louis. He underwent an MRI exam that revealed fluid had built up in his elbow and caused an irritation of a nerve. He was able to throw his off-speed pitches Monday with no problems, but Yost still opted to err on the side of caution.
“If you’ve got the opportunity to back him up two days, you just go ahead and do that,” Yost said. “You don’t try to push it.”
Right-hander Joe Blanton will start Wednesday in Ventura’s place.