Royals' Flynn fell 12 feet onto concrete slab in barn accident
Kansas City Royals reliever Brian Flynn understands how fortunate he was to avoid serious injury after falling through the roof of his barn earlier in February.
The left-hander will miss the next eight weeks after suffering a broken rib and three non-displaced fractures in his vertebrae when he fell 12 feet onto a concrete slab while replacing roofing panels on his Oklahoma property.
"I can't remember what happened," Flynn told reporters, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. "My wife was working outside, she heard a commotion, and she called the paramedics."
He added: "Could have been worse. Three or four weeks of no-throw and then I'll fire it back up. I'll have my spring training then."
Flynn was entering camp in competition for a role in the bullpen after a strong 2016 campaign that saw him post a 2.60 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 55 1/3 innings.
His teammates have urged him to hire someone else to do future home repairs, Flanagan notes.
The Royals entered camp this week mourning the loss of right-hander Yordano Ventura, who died in a car accident in January.