Danny Duffy went on the DL. He's unlikely to return until near the trade deadline. This team may look quite different when he returns.

We discussed Duffy's injury and what it means, especially for this point in the season and where the Royals sit in the standings. A tough hill to climb just got tougher.

There have been a couple of bright spots, though. Eric Skoglund stepped in and did an admirable job in his MLB debut (and at the end of the show, we share some audio courtesy of our own Clint Scoles from Skoglund's final Omaha start before getting called up, a nine strikeout game on May 22). Whit Merrifield is playing great, and Jorge Bonifacio is stepping up with power and patience.

Nonetheless, the Royals have a lot of work to do and some tough questions to answer while Duffy is away.

Follow the Vault at @KCBaseballVault. Follow host Jeff Herr at @TheJeffReport, co-host Michael Engel at @michaelengel. You can also email feedback to KansasCityBaseballVault@gmail.com. Email us a question and if we answer it on the air, we’ll send you a gift certificate to our friends at Kelly’s Westport Inn.