Relief pitcher Brian Flynn showed up in Arizona for the Royals’ first day of spring training with a crazy story to share from his offseason — from just the day before.

Flynn said he fell through the roof of his barn at his home in McAlester, Okla., and suffered a broken rib as well as three non-displaced fractures in his vertebrae, Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters Tuesday, putting him behind schedule in a crucial tryout year.

“He was working on his barn and fell through the roof,” Yost said, according to the Kansas City Star. “So he took a pretty good tumble, knocked himself out. So he’s going to be about eight weeks behind everybody else.”

Flynn, who has spent time with three clubs since being drafted out of Wichita State by the Tigers in 2011, was considered a contender for a bullpen spot this season after posting a 2.60 ERA across 36 appearances in 2016. Following his May 6 call-up, he experienced his longest stint in the major leagues after appearing sporadically with the Marlins in 2013 and 2014.

The 26-year-old made an appearance at the Royals’ first workout on Tuesday nonetheless, spending time with his teammates in the clubhouse and locker room.

Flynn was traded to the Royals in November 2014 in a deal that included two other pitching prospects.

Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.