Third baseman Mike Moustakas was a late scratch from the lineup on Friday, missing his third start in four days with a bruised left thumb.
Moustakas missed Monday’s loss to the Washington Nationals and was out of the lineup again on Tuesday before returning to record a key pinch hit during a ninth-inning comeback. He returned to the lineup Wednesday and benefited from a day off on Thursday. But the thumb, Royals manager Ned Yost said, has been slow to heal.
“It’s just still sore,” Yost said. “It’s not really making much progress.”
Moustakas appeared in the Royals’ clubhouse on Friday afternoon with a sizable wrap on his left hand.