On early Monday morning, Royals manager Ned Yost summoned right-handed pitcher Nathan Karns to his office. As players milled about the clubhouse, groggily beginning another week here at camp, the meeting would be brief. The message was a reward.
Two weeks from Opening Day, Yost informed Karns that he would be the Royals’ No. 5 starter, the final building block in the club’s 2017 starting rotation.
“Congratulations,” Yost said.
The decision settled a three-man competition that had lasted all camp. Karns beat out left-hander Travis Wood and veteran right-hander Chris Young, who will both shift to the bullpen as the season begins.