Royals place Duda on DL, recall Dozier from Omaha
Former first-round draft pick Hunter Dozier will get his second chance to make his mark with the big-league club after being recalled from Triple-A Omaha, replacing Lucas Duda, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
Duda, the Royals' starting first baseman, has plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He was batting .256 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 133 at-bats in his first season with Kansas City.
Duda will be eligible for reinstatement May 24.
Dozier is penciled in as the starting first baseman for the Royals on Monday night against Tampa Bay.
The Royals made Dozier the eighth overall pick of the 2013 draft. The infielder/outfielder was batting .254 with seven doubles, one homer, 11 RBIs and 18 runs in 35 games with the Storm Chasers this season.
Dozier, 26, got his first sniff of the major leagues as a September call-up in 2016, going 4 for 19 (.211) with a double and four runs scored in eight games. He was named the organization's top minor league hitter and the player of the year for Omaha that season.
Most of his 2017 season was lost to a strained left oblique. He played in only 33 games with three minor league clubs.
