Holland's injury puts his KC future in question

KANSAS CITY -- Now that Royals closer Greg Holland has been shut down for the rest of 2015 and appears to be headed toward Tommy John surgery, the question becomes: Will he ever pitch for the Royals again?

Holland, 29, signed for $8.25 million this season, thus avoiding arbitration. His final year of arbitration will be in 2016, a year in which he likely will spend the season rehabbing.

And 2017 represents Holland's first year of free agency.

It seems unlikely that the Royals will tender Holland a contract this offseason, knowing he won't likely be able to contribute. One option would be to sign him to a two-year contract, with a low salary for '16 and an incentive-filled deal for '17.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore wouldn't speculate on what might happen with Holland. But Moore did say, "I will say that Holly is one of the very best competitors I've ever been around. I admire him a great deal. I hope he's a part of our organization the remainder of his career."

And manager Ned Yost, who raves about Holland's competitiveness as well, said, "He'll come back every bit as strong as he was."

Young to start Sunday

Yost said that veteran right-hander Chris Young will take struggling right-hander Jeremy Guthrie 's spot in the rotation on Sunday. Yost had been considering rookie right-hander Miguel Almonte as well but said he preferred Young's experience.