KC Royals: Five most disappointing players so far in 2017

MOST DISAPPOINTING ROYAL SO FAR – NUMBER 3: NATE KARNS

When the Royals traded Jarrod Dyson for Nate Karns during the offseason, it seemed like a good deal for them. They were essentially trading a fourth outfielder for a fifth starter in their rotation.

Karns is on this list not because he has been bad, he’s been far from it, but because he likely has thrown his final pitch of the 2017 season. Karns landed on the disabled list in May and now is rumored to have to undergo thoracic outlet surgery, per The Kansas City Star.

Karns has struggled with injuries during his career, which is likely why the Mariners were okay with trading him, but he did well during his few appearances in Kansas City. Karns posted a 4.17 ERA in nine games (eight starts) with a 2-2 record. He struck out 51 batters and walked 13.

It truly looked like the Royals had themselves one of the best rotations in the majors with the likes of Karns, Danny Duffy, Jason Vargas, Ian Kennedy, and Jason Hammel, but Karns’ injury will likely force this organization to target a starter at the deadline.

Hopefully Nate Karns can break the “injury bug” tag that has followed him throughout his career, but once someone is injured once, it’s tough to shake that image.