Brian Bannister could be moving from the Class AAA Omaha rotation to the Kansas City rotation before the end of the week, possibly as early as Wednesday.
Bannister retired all six Albuquerque batters he faced, striking out one, Sunday before being pulled after 29 pitches, 18 for strikes, but did not leave with an injury. The telltale sign was Omaha LHP Josh Newman was warming up before Bannister threw his first pitch and replaced him in the third. Since Bannister was pitching effectively and not injured, that typically means he will get called up.
After losing the Omaha opener, Bannister has allowed three hits, walked none and struck out five in his past two starts. He is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA.
Horacio Ramirez, the Royals? No. 5 starter, is penciled in to start Wednesday at Cleveland, but that is subject to change. Ramirez is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA. He yielded six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings on April 11 in his only start. He also yielded a home run Friday in a relief appearance against the Rangers.
The Royals did not make an official announcement Monday on a roster move involving Bannister, but the writing is on the wall. He was 9-16 with a 5.76 ERA in 32 starts last season for Kansas City.
