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Royals' Chapman briefly sidelined after chipping tooth in fall at home

Sarah Stier / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Aroldis Chapman's Kansas City Royals tenure has gotten off to a bit of a rough start.

The seven-time All-Star closer is staying away from the mound for a couple of days after suffering another bizarre injury. While at home Saturday, Chapman cracked his tooth and split his lip open after slipping and falling, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com.

Chapman, who turns 35 on Tuesday, required stitches to fix his lip and also missed workouts Sunday because of a lack of sleep, manager Matt Quatraro said. The Cuba native said Monday that he's feeling better outside of swelling in his lip and will attempt to play catch later in the day. He's hopeful of pitching in a game later this week.

This is the second strange injury to befall Chapman in less than a year. Last August, while still with the New York Yankees, he landed on the injured list after sustaining a leg infection from a new tattoo. The ordeal cost him nearly three weeks of action.

Chapman, whose 315 saves rank third among active relievers, joined the Royals on a one-year, $3.75-million contract this winter. He's hoping for a rebound in Kansas City following a career-worst 2022 campaign that saw him tally just nine saves while posting a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with a 6.9 BB/9 rate in 43 games.

The Yankees left him off their postseason roster after he missed a team workout prior to the ALDS.

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