Royals Call Up Jackson Kowar, Set to Start Against Angels
Following Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny announced right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar, the Royals No. 4 prospect, will start tomorrow's game against the Los Angeles Angels.
To make room on the roster, Kansas City has optioned Jakob Junis to Triple-A Omaha. In 34 2/3 innings pitched this year, Junis has gone 2-3 with a 5.19 ERA. After the game, Matheny said Junis would be heading to Omaha to "get built back up."
Kowar's dominance at the Triple-A level has been hard to ignore. In six starts this season, the righty has gone 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA. Kowar has collected 41 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings pitched this year.
The 24-year-old's 0.85 ERA was the lowest in the Triple-A East among qualified pitchers. Kowar was tied for second in the league in strikeouts and his 10 walks rank among the lowest allowed by a starting pitcher. With numbers like that, it was hard to keep Kowar down much longer.
A tricky part involving Kowar's promotion is he is not currently on Kansas City's 40-man roster. A corresponding 40-man roster move will be announced tomorrow, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
Kowar's call-up comes hours after the Royals announced four moves prior to their game against the Twins on Sunday. Before the game, Kansas City activated right-handed pitcher Josh Staumont from the 10-day injured list, recalled outfielder Edward Olivares, optioned right-handed pitcher Tyler Zuber to Triple-A Omaha and placed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi on the 10-day injured list.
