Undefeated Royals lose Rios to fractured hand; expected to miss up to 6 weeks

The Kansas City Royals suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday and they weren't even scheduled to play.

Offseason acquisition Alex Rios will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a fractured hand in Monday's win over the Minnesota Twins, an injury the team described as a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal in his left hand. 

"I think it would be a little careless to put six weeks on it," general manager Dayton Moore told Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. "And maybe a little premature to be two to three weeks on it. I think it's somewhere in between."

Rios exited the series opener in the eighth inning after taking a 93-mph pitch to the hand from Twins reliever J.R. Graham. He underwent an X-Ray to assess the damage, but sounded unconcerned in the clubhouse after the game.

The veteran outfielder was off to a strong start for the 7-0 Royals after signing a one-year, $11-million deal to patrol right field for the defending American League champions. Through seven games, Rios is batting .321/.345/.464 with a homer, double, and pair of stolen bases. Moore said Jarrod Dyson and Paulo Orlando will likely split time in Rios' absence.

Rios, 34, is coming off one of his worst seasons in years after posting his lowest OBP (.311) and OPS (.709) since 2011, and fewest home runs (four) of his 12-year career. 

The Royals resume their three-game set with the Twins on Wednesday in Minnesota.