Mariners' Jackson Kowar: Requires Tommy John surgery
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The Mariners placed Kowar on the 60-day injured list Sunday after he was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow. He'll undergo Tommy John surgery next Friday in Dallas, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
After experiencing arm soreness early last week, Kowar was sent in for tests Friday, at which point the UCL damage was detected. The 27-year-old will miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign and likely the first couple months of 2025 as well. Kowar, whom Seattle acquired from Atlanta in December, was expected to handle a low-leverage role out of the Mariners bullpen.
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Mariners' Jackson Kowar: Getting sore arm checked out
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Kowar will meet with a doctor Friday to have his sore right arm examined, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The Mariners gave Kowar a couple days to rest and that evidently didn't knock the soreness out, so he's set to be evaluated further. It's not clear whether the soreness is in his elbow or shoulder. Kowar might have been pitching his way into a bullpen spot with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings this spring, but now it's possible he could be sidelined for a while.
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Mariners' Jackson Kowar: Pushed back due to soreness
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Kowar's next Cactus League appearance will be pushed back a few days as he deals with soreness, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Where exactly the soreness is located is not clear, but it doesn't seem like the Mariners have much concern that this could be a long-term injury. Kowar has impressed in the early going this spring with three strikeouts over two scoreless frames.
Kowar and Cole Phillips (elbow) were traded from Atlanta to Seattle on Sunday in exchange for Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales and Evan White, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Kowar was traded from Kansas City to Atlanta in mid-November, and he'll be on the move once again as the Winter Meetings get underway. The 27-year-old was once a highly-regarded prospect, but he's largely struggled in the big leagues. Over 39 appearances (eight starts), he's posted a 9.12 ERA and 2.09 WHIP in 74 innings. If he earns a spot on Seattle's Opening Day roster in 2024, it's possible he has to settle for a role as a long reliever early in the year.
Atlanta acquired Kowar from the Royals on Friday in exchange for Kyle Wright, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Kowar owns a brutal 9.12 ERA through his first 74 major-league innings, but he was a top-100 prospect just a few years ago and can maybe find himself with a change of scenery. The reigning NL East champs could try him as a long reliever in 2024, though he also has past experience as a starter.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Picks up second win
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Kowar (2-0) allowed a hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning to earn the win Monday over the Guardians.
Kowar's two wins have come over his last five appearances, in which he's posted a 5.1-inning scoreless streak with a 6:1 K:BB. The right-hander is finding a bit more success out of the bullpen in the majors, though he still has a 4.91 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 28:16 K:BB through 25.2 innings over 20 appearances this season. Kowar started just one of his 30 outings with Triple-A Omaha but pitched to a 5.96 ERA over 45.1 innings. It appears he'll mostly remain in a low-leverage role with the capability to take multiple innings for the rest of this season.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Snags first major-league win
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Kowar (1-0) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win Tuesday over the White Sox.
Kowar pitched the ninth inning with the Royals down by one, but they scraped together two runs to walk it off. This was Kowar's fifth scoreless effort across eight appearances since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 17. The right-hander has a 5.91 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB over 21.1 innings in the majors this season while working almost exclusively as a reliever across all levels.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Recalled from Omaha
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Kansas City recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
Kowar returns to the Royals as a fresh bullpen arm ahead of Thursday's series finale against the Mariners. The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed 12 runs -- eight earned -- in 11.2 innings of work this season at the MLB level.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Sent back to Omaha
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Kansas City optioned Kowar to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
James McArthur has also been sent to Omaha, with Cole Ragans and Tucker Davidson joining the Royals ahead of Wednesday night's game against the Mets. Kowar, 26, did not make an appearance during his one-day stint on the major-league roster.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Promoted to KC
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The Royals recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Kowar and James McArthur will both come up from the minors to make up for the departures of Scott Barlow and Ryan Yarbrough at Tuesday's trade deadline. With a 9.83 ERA and 2.13 WHIP through 57.2 career MLB innings, Kowar offers very little fantasy value.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Back to minors
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Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Kowar was most recently promoted to the majors June 2, and he went on to pitch 9.1 innings across seven appearances. He allowed at least one run on four occasions, which amounted to a 7.71 ERA.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Recalled from Triple-A
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Kansas City recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
The 26-year-old right-hander will replace Amir Garrett, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left elbow injury. A former top prospect, Kowar projects to operate in long relief as he joins the Royals' major-league roster for the second time this season.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Sent back to Omaha
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Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Kowar was called up Tuesday and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings while walking two batters and striking out three in Friday's 2-0 loss to the White Sox. With Amir Garrett (personal) being reinstated from the family emergency list Saturday, Kowar will head back to Triple-A. The right-hander could earn another call-up later this summer if a bullpen arm goes down for Kansas City.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Recalled from Triple-A
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The Royals recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Kowar holds a 7.84 ERA and 2.13 WHIP through 20.2 innings across 13 appearances in Omaha this season. His struggles are nothing new, as he hasn't maintained an ERA below 6.00 at any level since 2021. He has a knack for striking batters out at an above-average rate, but Kowar still holds virtually no fantasy value. Max Castillo was optioned to Omaha in a corresponding move.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Role is undecided
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Kowar's role moving forward has yet to be determined by the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Kowar was part of the Royals' camp cuts Wednesday and the team is still deciding whether to deploy him as a starter or reliever. The first-round pick will stay stretched out this spring, but it's possible the organization ultimately determines he's best suited as a reliever. Kowar, 26, has struggled in both roles in the majors so far with a 9.16 ERA as a reliever and an even uglier 11.85 mark as a starter.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Optioned out to Triple-A
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The Royals optioned Kowar to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Kowar had surrendered five earned runs on seven hits and three walks through five innings this spring in the Cactus League. The 26-year-old carries a ghastly 10.76 ERA in 46 career frames at the MLB level.
