After several fits and starts dealing with blisters and cuts on his fingers, Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch returned to the starting rotation in stellar fashion on Monday night.

Lynch, who was activated from the injured list shortly before the game, didn’t allow a run and outshined his counterpart — another talented young hurler — Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech.

Lynch pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings and set the tone for the Royals in a 2-1 win over the White Sox in front of an announced 17,500 in the series opener of a three-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“It was a lot of fun,” Lynch said of his outing. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone out and been able to just have a normal game. So it was just a lot of fun to be back out there with these guys and throw to (Salvador Perez) and watch the game from the dugout.”

The Royals have now won back-to-back games and are 2-3 on their current road trip with two games remaining.

Lynch (4-7) threw his fastball more than half the time (56%), and the White Sox weren’t able to do damage with that pitch. Of their 27 swings against his four-seamer, they put 10 in play with an average exit velocity of just 88 mph.

The only extra-base hit he allowed, a sixth-inning double by Andrew Vaughn, came on a changeup.

“I just think it’s a mentality of trusting my stuff in the zone and not trying be too fine or not thinking that I have to throw these perfect pitches to get guys out,” Lynch said. “Good hitters are going to get you sometimes, and that’s alright. I think it’s just trusting that if I’m in the zone and I’m attacking, good things are going to happen.”

Lynch, who made his first start since July 16, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in a start for the first time all season. He’d had two IL stints this season due to blisters which caused problems with his command and ability to spin certain pitches.

“I thought he was great,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Lynch. “We keep talking about that with some of the guys, where they don’t fall in love with one pattern. Maybe some of the best curveballs we’ve seen from him, which has probably been his fourth pitch. Fastball early on, established the fastball, threw it in the zone.

“He had a couple of long at-bats, right from the top even with (Tim) Anderson to lead off the game. But he kept throwing everything in there.”

The Royals (41-62) first two runs came on solo home runs by Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield, both off of Kopech.

Perez has three home runs in the four games since returning from thumb surgery, and he now has 14 home runs in 61 games this season.

Perez started the scoring in the fourth inning with a towering solo homer to center field that was estimated to travel 452 feet despite the fact that it completely cleared the ivy batter’s eye and looked like it might leave the confines of the ballpark all together.

“No, 450. That’s just a glitch,” Merrifield said. “That was as close to 500 as you’re going to see. That was crazy. He’s strong. I don’t know, I think the wind shifted on mine. It must have been blowing out on his and blowing in a little bit more on mine. It’s alright. It counts the same.”

When told of the estimated distance, Perez said with a smile, “It’s got to be more than that, come on guys.”

All three of Perez’s hits since being activated from the IL have been home runs. Yet he said he’s probably been more happy about being able to be back at his post behind the plate. He has caught three of the four games since his return.

“A homer is a good swing,” Perez said. “One good swing and the ball is going to go, but I think being behind home plate and catching these guys means a lot to me. I love homers too!”

The White Sox (51-51) scored their lone run in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly by Adam Engel. The run was charged to reliever Wyatt Mills, who put the runner on base, but the sacrifice fly came after Dylan Coleman entered the game to pitch.

Royals reliever Scott Barlow pitched the final two innings to record his 17th save of the season. He’s now gotten four outs or more in seven of his saves.

“It was a great win tonight,” Barlow said. “Lynchie did a heck of a job, same with Mills and Coleman doing everything they could. Our hitters, Whit and Salvy, going deep. It’s always nice when the guys on the other side of the fence in right field can pick up Lynch and get the win.”

Witt sits again

Rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was not in the starting lineup for Mondays’ series opener against the White Sox.

He returned to the lineup as the designated hitter for two games over the weekend after having been held out due to hamstring tightness.

In the ninth inning of Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees, he left the game after getting hit by a pitch on the right hand. Witt said after the game in the clubhouse that he was fine and that the ball to the hand was not a serious concern.

Matheny said prior to Monday’s game that Witt was not in the lineup because of a concerted effort to ease him back into action from the hamstring issue. The hand had nothing to do with his absence from the lineup. Matheny also said Witt could return to action in the field soon.