KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals placed left-hander Jason Vargas on the disabled list after an appendectomy and recalled reliever Louis Coleman from Triple-A Omaha before Thursday night’s game against Detroit.

Vargas began experiencing pain early Wednesday in Tampa, and underwent the procedure later in the day. He remained in Florida after the Royals beat the Rays to wrap up their series.

Vargas is off to the best start of his nine-year big league career. He’s 8-4 with 3.31 ERA in 19 starts, solidifying a rotation that lost Ervin Santana to free agency last season.

Coleman was a dominant reliever for the Royals last season, but he had an unsightly 6.41 ERA with the club this season. He’s been in Omaha trying to rediscover his form.