ST. PETERBURG, Fla. - Kansas City Royals left-hander Jason Vargas has been taken to the hospital and will have an appendectomy.
Royals manager Ned Yost announced the news before Wednesday game against Tampa Bay and said surgery was planned for Wednesday night.
Yost said Vargas "started really having severe discomfort" around 4 a.m. Wednesday
There was no timetable given for how long Vargas will be out. Bruce Chen could replace Vargas in Sunday's game against Detroit.
Royals All-Star outfielder Alex Gordon was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a sprained right wrist. He will have an MRI exam and see a hand specialist today when the team returns to Kansas City.
Yost said the injury could "very well" impact Gordon's status for next week's All-Star game.
Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas was also out of Wednesday's lineup with the flu.