KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Royals right-hander Nate Karns hopes that by losing a rib he will gain some relief.
The 29-year-old pitcher will miss the rest of the season to have a rib removed Wednesday in a procedure designed to take pressure off the nerve in his forearm. Karns has been dealing with pain and soreness in his right arm for months, and a seemingly endless menu of tests and treatments failed to produce a solution.
The condition is called thoracic outlet syndrome, and pitchers including the Twins’ Phil Hughes and the Mets’ Matt Harvey, along with former Royals pitchers Luke Hochevar and Dillon Gee, have undergone similar treatment in recent years.