Royals' Davis to undergo MRI on forearm
With his name continuing to surface in trade rumors ahead of Monday's non-waiver trade deadline, Royals closer Wade Davis is headed back to Kansas City to have an MRI on his right forearm on Sunday.
Davis, who leads all qualified relievers in ERA since the start of 2014, was activated from the disabled list July 16 after missing two weeks with a strain in the same forearm, but his velocity has been down since returning, and he allowed multiple runs Wednesday for just the second time this season. Through 35 outings this year, Davis owns an impressive 1.60 ERA, the 12th-best mark among relievers, but his strikeouts are down considerably, and his walks are way up, too.
| Season | ERA | WHIP | K% | BB% | Opp. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1.00 | 0.86 | 39.1% | 8.2% | .150 |
| 2015 | 0.94 | 0.79 | 31.1% | 8.0% | .143 |
| 2016 | 1.60 | 1.10 | 23.7% | 11.1% | .186 |
Still, even with Davis' arm in a dubious state, multiple teams are eyeing the two-time All-Star, with the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly "very interested" in him, as well as the Washington Nationals - who acquired Mark Melancon from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday - checking in on him, too.
Davis, who has been traded just once before in his career, getting shipped with James Shields to Kansas City as part of the Wil Myers deal in 2012, has tried to downplay the rumors.
"I'm sure teams talk about players and trades all year long, but it just gets emphasized here over the next four days," Davis told MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan on Friday. "It's just a lot of hype."