Royals' Ashe Russell: Stepping away from baseball

Russell, the Royals' first-round pick in 2015, is taking an indefinite break from baseball, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

In two seasons of Rookie ball (2015-16), the right-hander went 0-4 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 38.1 innings. Last year, Russell dealt with a mechanical flaw that seemingly stunted his growth, so much so that the 6-foot-4, 205 pound pitcher was not assigned to a minor-league affiliate this year. Russell said he was focused on working through some personal issues but didn't wish to discuss the situation at this point. General manager Dayton Moore said Russell had the club's full support. As of now, there's no timeline for a potential return.