Royals' Vargas undergoes appendectomy; placed on 15-day DL

Kansas City Royals left-hander Jason Vargas was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after undergoing a successful appendectomy.

The Royals announced the move is retroactive to July 9.

Team trainer Nick Kenney suggested Vargas would be sidelined for three-to-four weeks following the surgery, but the club has yet to provide an official timetable for the lefty's recovery.

Manager Ned Yost has not named a replacement for Vargas' next scheduled start Sunday in Detroit, but suggested Wednesday that Bruce Chen would likely get the call.