Royals place Nori Aoki on DL; Justin Maxwell called up
By Brian Miller
The Kansas City Royal’s have placed Nori Aoki on the disabled list due to a groin injury he has been dealing with for the last few days. Aoki was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Royal’s this past off-season for relief pitcher Will Smith. Thus far he has not made the impression on the Royals that the Royals and their fans had hoped for.
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Batting .263 this year for Kansas City, Aoki has only 14 RBI’s and no home runs. In May, Aoki took a shot to the groin on a pop foul ball. He slid to catch the ball along the right field line but missed. He was in visible pain afterwards but continued to play.
Aoki missed his start on Wednesday and was relegated to on appearance as a pinch hitter in Thursday’s game. In his last five starts, Aoki has gone 7-19 with three doubles.
To replace Aoki in the lineup the Royals have called up Justin Maxwell who was designated to minor league assignment earlier this year.
The Royals will platoon Jarrod Dyson and Maxwell in right field until Aoki can return to the lineup. The Royals are currently a half game out of first behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. They are two games ahead of the Cleveland Indians.
The Tigers and Indians play again tonight in Cleveland.
In his last stint with the Royals, Maxwell had 32 total plate appearances in 40 games. He is 30 years old and is a lifetime .255 hitter. Jarrod Dyson is currently hitting .296 with 7 RBI’s and no home runs in 98 at bats.