Royals’ Meche headed for season-ending surgery

Royals pitcher Gil Meche believes he made every effort to avoid shoulder surgery — and it just didn’t work. So season-ending surgery now looms as a likely next step. “I’ve done everything possible I could do to be on that mound,” he said. “I know that, (the Royals) know that. It’s not like I’m sitting here not wanting to pitch.” All that work failed to resolve the problem. Meche showed diminished velocity Monday in a rehabilitation start for Class AAA Omaha against New Orleans. More troubling, his shoulder problems sharpened despite avoiding the strain of throwing his curveball, one of his best pitches. “The next step,” manager Ned Yost confirmed, “is he’ll probably have to have to surgery on (the shoulder) to figure out exactly what’s wrong and repair it. We’re still evaluating, but it looks like that’s what we’re going to have to do.” — KC Star