48 Joakim Soria RP

Soria has been dealing with a lower-lat issue and could end up on the DL, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

The Royals fear it's an intercostal strain, and if an MRI on Thursday confirms that that is indeed the issue, a DL move will likely be made. Everyone in the bullpen would move up a rung in Soria's absence, with Brandon Maurer inheriting primary setup duties in front of closer Kelvin Herrera.

Soria pitched a perfect eighth inning Saturday against the White Sox to capture his 16th hold of the season.

Nine of his 10 pitches went for strikes Saturday, and he got Jose Abreu to strike out swinging for the first out of the inning. Soria's been inconsistent lately, but the right-hander remains a strong option in leagues that value setup men.

Soria's AL-leading seven blown saves this year can be attributed more to tough luck than inefficiency, J.K. Ward of SB Nation reports.

Soria's been dogged by many this year for his poor results as the setup man, and although there's validity to that, he really hasn't been all that bad. The right-hander's career-best 2.02 FIP and his 1.5 WAR rank among the top five AL relievers. Soria's 10.8 K/9 is at its highest point since 2009, while his 0.2 HR/9 is a career best. Furthermore, the 33-year-old has thrived under pressure, holding opponents to a .590 OPS in high-leverage situations. Unfortunately for Soria, he also owns an unlucky .350 BABIP, well above the MLB average (.296) for a reliever, and that's put a serious dent in his fantasy value.

Soria was tagged with his fifth blown save of the year after allowing an eighth-inning, game-tying solo homer to Cody Bellinger in Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

The reliever entered Los Angeles on a six-game scoreless streak, but that ended in a big way Saturday. Soria continues to be a roller coaster ride in 2017, and despite managing 11 holds and four wins, he's likely not worth the headache in leagues that value setup men.

Soria picked up his first save with a perfect ninth inning Monday against the Mariners.

Royals closer Kelvin Herrera had thrown on consecutive days, so the ninth fell to the setup man Soria on Monday. He handled the opportunity without issue. He has his ERA down to 3.34, and given his experience, the Royals would have an easy time counting on him in the closing role should Herrera fall to injury.