KANSAS CITY — On a gorgeous July afternoon, another black cloud appeared Wednesday amidst the gathering gloom at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals announced shortstop Mike Aviles, the team’s 2008 player of the year during his rookie season, will undergo season-ending surgery next week. He is scheduled to undergo the Tommy John procedure in order to repair damage to ligaments in his right elbow.

The news came one week after Coco Crisp underwent shoulder surgery that will shelve him for the remainder of the season. With seven Royals now inhabiting the disabled list, Kansas City’s hope to make a move within the division — or break out of a serious, lingering offensive drought — looks bleak.

“I don’t want anybody to feel like I’ve got my violin out,” manager Trey Hillman said. “But those are pretty big blows.”

Aviles’ problems began in spring training, when he felt discomfort in his right elbow and forearm. But he battled through 36 games with the team in hopes of playing through the soreness.

His season-long struggles — a .183 batting average and 26 strikeouts in 120 at-bats — forced him to disclose the injury to medical staff. He was placed on the DL on May 25 with forearm soreness, but did not make sufficient progress in his rehabilitation workouts.

After the recent diagnosis, the team expects him to be out nine to 12 months.

“You put a roster together and it gets blown up in unfortunate circumstances,” Hillman said. “It’s nobody’s fault on their own accord, but it can have an impact out there on the field.”

The Royals have

frequently suffered from a sputtering offense for the past few seasons, but the recent stretch has been especially putrid. During the past 11 games, Kansas City has averaged less than three runs per game and has scored two or fewer times in five of those games.

In Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Twins, the Royals rapped out 12 hits but managed to move just two base runners past second. The bullpen has been hit especially hard, as five relievers have spent time on the DL so far — including closer Joakim Soria.

Putting together a consistent lineup has proved a challenge for Hillman, as Kansas City has yet to go two consecutive weeks without placing a player on the disabled list. Of the 25 players on the Royals’ active roster, seven started the season in the minor leagues.

“It’s paramount to me and for us as an organization about how much it impacts and the domino effect it has to the other players and putting more pressure on players,” Hillman said.

A modicum of relief may be on the way. Third baseman Alex Gordon, catcher John Buck, starter Sidney Ponson and reliever Doug Waechter have progressed well during their respective rehab assignments and should all be available to join the club within the next two weeks.

The team’s torrid start helped the Royals seize first place in the division and infused the team with a brand of optimism not seen since 2003. But the steady stream of injuries and resulting slide sent the team into last place for a brief stretch and sapped the club of any acquired momentum.

As tempting as it may be to pin the recent futility on the lengthy list of injuries, Hillman said neither he nor the players can afford to focus on such negatives as they enter second half of the season.

“I know it’s frustrating to the fans. It’s frustrating for us,” Hillman said. “My approach is going to be the same. We’re going to keep working hard.

“We’re going to try to keep working hard and put the best team that we can out there every day.”

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be reached at andymeyer@npgco.com