Yordano Ventura placed on disabled list with ulnar nerve condition

Kansas City Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura will miss his scheduled start Friday and is being placed on the disabled list according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.

The 24-year-old has been dealing with an ulnar nerve condition. In his place, Yohan Pino will get the start. It has been a rough 2015 for Ventura. In 12 starts, he has a 3-6 record with a 4.68 ERA. Besides injury issues, Ventura has also been suspended for his role in the fiasco with Oakland A's and Brett Lawrie -- and he's essentially pulled himself from a couple games with thumb and calf cramps.

Injuries have plagued the Royals rotation for most of the season. Jason Vargas and Danny Duffy are already on the disabled list and now are joined by Ventura. There is some good news on the injury front, as one starting pitcher for the Royals is on his way back:

Kris Medlen will start his minor-league rehab assignment tomorrow for Class AA Northwest Arkansas.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) June 18, 2015

It shouldn't come as a surprise that with all of these injuries that the Royals would be looking for external options. When they aren't trying to stuff the All-Star ballot boxes (lol), they have been linked to some starting pitching.

Several weeks ago (forever in internet baseball rumor time), they were rumored to be interested in Scott Kazmir and Mike Leake. A lot of time has passed since then, and their interest may have faded. But with an obvious need in the rotation, the Royals are running out of in-house options and will have to turn towards the trade market to fix this gap.