On Wednesday it was reported that Royals OF Rick Ankiel could return from the disabled list this week. Samuel Zuba of MLB.com reports the target date is Thursday.
Royals manager Ned Yost addressed the topic on Wednesday afternoon.
"My thinking right now is that Ankiel is due to come back here very soon," Yost said. "If we have to DL [Lerew], then we'll put Ankiel in his spot, and then on Sunday, we'll have to make a decision and make a roster move to bring up another pitcher."
Ankiel has been out since April with a strained quad.
Ankiel would move back to center field pushing David DeJesus back to right field.
Yost said it's possible the Royals could send Anthony Lerew to the disabled list after he took a line drive to the stomach in his last start.