Royals' Gordon to miss 8 weeks with Grade 2-plus groin strain

The Kansas City Royals will be without their longest tenured player for quite some time following a scary incident at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night.

Royals manager Ned Yost said left fielder Alex Gordon will miss eight weeks after suffering a left groin strain while trying to corral a fly ball in the fourth inning of his club's 9-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The club officially placed Gordon on the 15-day disabled list Thursday morning with a Grade 2-plus groin strain, and recalled left-hander Brandon Finnegan.

"We're going to really miss him," outfielder Jarrod Dyson said.

The 31-year-old stepped awkwardly before smashing into the wall and was in too much pain to get the ball back to the infield following his collision, enabling Logan Forsythe to circle the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

Writhing in pain, face-down on the warning track, Gordon was eventually flipped on to his back with the assistance of a team trainer, but appeared unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was placed onto a cart. His head covered in a towel, Gordon was taken off the field amid obvious concern from the fans in attendance, and replaced in left field by Dyson.

Gordon, who had an MRI after leaving the game, said he heard the muscle in his groin pop, though the medical staff confirmed that the muscle did not detach from the bone.

"That's a devastating moment for the team and the organization and the city," Dyson added. "Because he means so much to us and them."

Recently voted to his third career All-Star game, Gordon entered Wednesday's game hitting .280/.394/.459 with 11 home runs and 13 doubles in 77 contests. On Tuesday, he tied a franchise record for hits in a doubleheader when he went 7-for-9 with a home run and a double to help the Royals sweep Tampa Bay.