The Royals continue to view former first-round pick Kyle Zimmer as a starting pitcher heading into 2017. Yet club officials remain open to the possibility that Zimmer could help the big-league club in a bullpen role at some point this season.
“Why not?” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Zimmer, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 draft, is returning to the mound this spring after undergoing surgery last summer to address thoracic outlet syndrome, a neurogenic condition caused by the compression of nerves near the neck and shoulder. The procedure represented the latest setback in a career beset by injuries.