Yordano Ventura will likely require at least one rehabilitation start before he rejoins the Royals from the disabled list, manager Ned Yost said before Monday’s game against the Mariners.
Kansas City scheduled what Yost called a "pretty good" bullpen session for Ventura on Monday afternoon. Ventura has not pitched since June 12, when he lost sensation in his right hand due to irritation of the ulnar nerve in his elbow.
Ventura is eligible to return from the disabled list on Sunday, but Jeremy Guthrie will start that day against the Athletics. The Royals want Ventura to pitch in a minor-league game before he returns "just to make sure" he is ready for the rigors of big-league competition, Yost said.