DETROIT — Chris Young has gone from an insurance policy to a towering presence in the rotation.
The 6-foot-10 left-hander made his second start of the season for the Kansas City Royals on Sunday night, holding the powerful Detroit Tigers lineup to one unearned run on three hits in six innings. He threw five hitless innings with nine strikeouts against Detroit in his previous start on May 1.
He’s now the No. 5 starter in the rotation with Jason Vargas on the 15-day disabled list with a left flexor strain. Vargas is out indefinitely, though an exam revealed no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.
In many cases, teams have to reach into their farm system to fill a rotation spot when a starter gets injured. With Young, the Royals can plug in a 35-year-old who first pitched in the majors in 2004 and was making his 190th career start on Sunday.
Young had a solid season with Seattle a year ago but was on the free-agent market until he signed with the Royals on March 7. After sitting out the 2013 season with thoracic outlet syndrome that caused him severe shoulder pain, Young went 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA last season.
The Mariners went with a younger staff this season and Young didn’t find a landing spot until he signed for a base salary of $675,000 with Kansas City. He could make as much as an additional $5.325M in bonuses, including $1M simply for being on the roster for 90 days.
“It’s a huge luxury,” manager Ned Yost said of Young. “It’s a great foresight move by (general manager) Dave Moore to sign Chris Young to give us that depth and that protection. What you saw tonight is what we’ve seen all year long. He’s been absolutely outstanding for us.”
Young began the season in the bullpen, an unusual role for someone who had relieved just once in his career. He made a quick adjustment, holding opponents to a .100 average in six relief appearances.
A fly-ball pitcher, Young has allowed the fewest hits (895) among all active pitchers who have thrown at least 1,000 innings. He has now pitched 1,078 2/3 innings.
“He’s an amazing individual, both on and off the field,” Yost said. “His competitiveness is very impressive and he’s very deceptive. His fastball is 88 (MPH) but it looks like 94 and his slider just disappears. He’s done a great job for us.”
FANTASY UPDATE: Young is a veteran that knows how to pitch. He could really help you in daily leagues considering the Royals lineup and their ability to win games.