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Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy upbeat and optimistic despite going on IL

At one point before he received the results of his MRI, veteran left-hander Danny Duffy feared he faced a serious injury. He doesn’t deny that. After all, the Kansas City Royals pitcher had been through Tommy John surgery before. He’s been down that painful road.

So yes, he worried right up until the Royals’ medical staff and head trainer Nick Kenney let him know that the issue he’d been feeling in his forearm for about three weeks was only a grade one flexor strain.

While Duffy, 32, wasn’t happy to land on the injured list, he knows this could have been much more devastating. He said in a matter-of-fact manner that he felt confident he could’ve made a start on Tuesday.

“Yeah, I was (fearing the worst),” Duffy said. “My MRI completely negated any worries that I had. Last time when I blew out nine years ago — God, it’s been a long time — it was progressive. It went slowly. Then finally in Chicago on Mother’s Day in 2012, it went on a curveball. Obviously, that was in the back of my mind.

After receiving assurances that he’d be fine, Duffy said his biggest worry was having to get into the MRI tube — he’s claustrophobic. Duffy called the results “as good a news as it could have been.”

The Royals haven’t put a potential timetable on Duffy’s return, but he seemed upbeat and laughed a few times while speaking with reporters during a video conference Tuesday afternoon.

While some Royals fans were leaping to unfounded conclusions on social media based on the fact that Duffy was scheduled to address the media Tuesday in the wake of his injury, Duffy reiterated several times that he’s confident this won’t be a big issue.

“It’s not Tommy John, and I’m not retiring,” Duffy said with a smile. “It takes a lot more to get rid of me, man.”

Duffy said the discomfort he felt in his forearm dated to before a start he made in Detroit on April 25. Duffy pitched five scoreless innings that day, allowing four hits and striking out eight.

At the time, the fact that manager Mike Matheny went to the bullpen after five innings raised some eyebrows. That was particularly true a day later, when Brad Keller pitched into the sixth inning of his start.

What Matheny didn’t reveal was that Duffy had been uncertain he’d even be able to take the ball.

“I felt really bad about it, but I asked them if they could have Ervin (Santana) come out in case I couldn’t go,” Duffy said. “It loosened up, and I had some of my best stuff of the season that day. That was Skip’s whole reasoning as to taking me out after five when I was at 83 pitches or something.

“He wanted to extend my healing time a little bit. I think that was a great move because we were able to squeeze three more really good starts out. That guy knows what he’s doing.”

Duffy, who is in the final year of a five-year $65 million contract, has a 4-3 record with a 1.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, a .222 opponent’s batting average, 48 strikeouts and 12 walks in 41 2/3 innings.

He entered the week with the seventh-best ERA among qualifying pitchers in the majors.

A former third-round draft pick by the Royals in 2007, Duffy has been plagued by injuries throughout his big-league career (he debuted in 2011). His career-high for innings in a season came in 2016, when he pitched 179 2/3 in 42 games (26 starts). His career-high of 28 starts in a season came in 2018.

“We’ll be OK. It’s very disappointing, don’t get me wrong,” Duffy said. I swear there’s a parallel universe where I’m going to make every start at some point in the year. I’m going to keep grinding for that and give my team as much I can.”