Royals option Junis, put Harvey on IL, recall Mejia, Blewett

The Royals optioned Jakob Junis to their alternate training site after his struggles Tuesday night against the Tigers, the team announced Wednesday.

Junis was the emergency starter Tuesday night when Danny Duffy was skipped in the rotation after missing the team flight to Detroit. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits and one walk in 2.1 innings. He is 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA in six games (all starts) this season.

In other moves, the Royals placed right-hander Matt Harvey on the 10-day injured list with a right lat strain and recalled infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia and right-hander Scott Blewett.

Mejia is in the starting lineup Wednesday, playing third base and batting seventh. He is 0 for 8 in six games this season.

Blewett is starting his third stint with the Royals in 2020. He has yet to make his big league debut.