The Royals made a move with Brian Bannister on Tuesday night after a 2-1 victory over the Indians . Bannister, who has been sidelined with rotator cuff tendinitis and displaced to the bullpen, was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
The move is retroactive to Aug. 8 so he can return on Aug 23.
"He has some weakness in his shoulder due to the tendinitis, so we backed him off a start to see if we could build him back up," Royals manager Ned Yost said.
"He's been working real hard on all of the exercises that he does and he's actually starting to feel a little bit better," Yost added. "He threw a side today and he felt pretty good. We'll throw him a side again in a couple of days and evaluate then and decide from there."
His roster spot is being filled by AAA outfielder Jai Miller. He's coming in with 18 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .252 batting average. He joined the Royals back in April coming off of waivers from the A's.
Bannister was sent to the bullpen while he works on some mechanical issues.
Yost says Bannister could return in September, when the rosters expand, after a couple of minor league rehab stints.
With Bannister, Gil Meche and Luke Hochevar, the Royals have three starting pitchers on the DL.