Last week Royals manager Ned Yost said that they were going to send starting pitcher Brian Bannister to the bullpen temporarily.
Yost said Bannister and pitching coach Bob McClure spotted flaws while studying video earlier in the week. The current plan calls for Bannister to miss one or two starts. Bryan Bullington will replace Bannister in the rotation.
"Bull deserves to start," Yost said. "He’s been up here twice, and he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to show what he can do. He put together great numbers down in Triple-A. We’ll give him an opportunity and see what happens."
And Bull deserves to start once again. The Royals will keep Bannister in the bullpen (for now) and Sunday's start against the Yankees will go to Bullington.
"He’s been throwing some good side sessions," Yost said. "We’re trying to make sure we get Banny in a spot mechanically where he can finish the month of September really strong. He’s working on mechanical issues so that he can not get out in front and finish those pitches with the strong downhill motion instead of getting underneath."
Bannister has struggled the last three months with his ERA moving closer to six.