Royals closer Greg Holland headed to DL with pectoral strain

The Kansas City Royals are going to have to make do without closer Greg Holland for at least a couple weeks.

Holland was placed on the 15-day DL on Saturday with a right pectoral strain, less than a day after pitching a scoreless ninth and picking up a save in Kansas City's 6-4 win over Oakland.

Nothing from Holland's performance so far this season suggested he was hurt, he hasn't allowed a hit or a run in four innings of work, but Ned Yost told reporters the issue actually flared up last weekend. Even though he got the job done against the A's, he didn't have his best stuff and the team decided it was best to sit him down for a little bit and let him recover.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today!]

Look for Wade Davis to fill in as Kansas City's closer until Holland is ready to return. Davis is a more than capable replacement, having emerged as one of baseball's best relievers in 2014.

This is the third significant injury to affect the Royals this week. Outfielder Alex Rios is expected to miss at least a month with a broken hand and while shortstop Alcides Escobar appears to have escaped serious damage following a questionable takeout slide from Oakland's Brett Lawrie on Friday, he was diagnosed with a mild left knee sprain and is considered day-to-day.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr