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.
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Mariners' Jackson Kowar: Shipped to Seattle
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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.
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Braves' Jackson Kowar: Dealt to Atlanta
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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: Sent back to Omaha
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
Kowar was called up Wednesday, and he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks while failing to strike out a batter in one-third of an inning during Friday's game against the Yankees. He'll head back to the minors after Jonathan Heasley (shoulder) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Called up Wednesday
Rotowire
Kowar was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Kowar will return to the Royals just one day after being sent down to Omaha. He'll replace Angel Zerpa (knee) on the active roster after the latter was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. Kowar has produced a 8.80 ERA over 15.1 innings in six appearances with Kansas City this year.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Struggles in long relief
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Kowar allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over 2.2 innings during Saturday's 13-1 loss to the Guardians.
Jonathan Heasley was blitzed in the first two innings, and Kowar didn't do much better, though he recorded the most outs of any Royals pitcher in the contest. With eight runs, 12 hits and eight walks in 10 innings across four appearances since his June 26 recall from Triple-A Omaha, Kowar hasn't looked very effective against major-league hitters. Daniel Lynch (finger) is expected to return from the injured list Monday, and it figures one of Heasley, Kowar or Kris Bubic is most likely to be headed back to Omaha to make room for him.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: On Opening Day roster
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Kowar was awarded a spot on the Opening Day roster Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The first-round pick from 2018 got his first taste of big-league action last season, but he struggled with an 11.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP across nine appearances spanning 30.1 innings. He didn't have the best spring either, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks through seven innings. Kowar will be able to log multi-inning assignments, though with Carlos Hernandez in the rotation, it's expected Kowar will operate out of the bullpen to begin the year.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Charged with loss in season finale
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Kowar (0-6) allowed five runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six in four innings to take the loss against the Twins on Sunday.
Kowar gave up four runs in the top of the first inning before recording an out, but he settled down later in his outing and retired nine consecutive batters across the next three innings. However, he was forced to finish the season with his fourth loss in his last five appearances. The right-hander made nine appearances (eight starts) during his first major-league season and recorded an 11.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in 30.1 innings.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Struggles Monday
Rotowire
Kowar (0-5) got the loss after pitching 4.1 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and walking one while striking out four versus Cleveland on Monday.
The right-hander was hit early, surrendering four runs in the first three innings including an Amed Rosario solo home run in the bottom of the third. It was the fourth straight outing for Kowar in which he gave up at least five runs. Since Sept. 7, he has thrown 15.1 innings while allowing 21 runs, good (or bad) for a 12.33 ERA. He'll look for his elusive first win in the season finale against the Twins on Sunday.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Hit hard again Sunday
Rotowire
Kowar (0-4) allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over four innings as he took the loss against the Mariners on Sunday.
Kowar was knocked around again in what was his third straight start allowing five runs or more. He gave up two in the first on a double from Jarred Kelenic, another in the second and two more in the third on a pair of solo home runs. His success in the minors has certainly not translated over to the big leagues just yet. The 24-year-old righty now owns an 11.45 ERA, 2.23 WHIP and 19:18 K:BB over 22 innings. He should be avoided in lineups at all costs for the remainder of the season.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Thumped by Orioles
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Kowar (0-3) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up six runs on five hits and three walks over six innings as the Royals fell 7-3 to the Orioles. He struck out seven.
The strikeouts were a silver lining on an otherwise stormy performance, as Kowar got taken deep by DJ Stewart in the first inning and Austin Hays in the third to account for most of the damage off him. The 24-year-old has lasted six innings in each of his last two starts, but his 9.53 ERA, 1.94 WHIP and 15:12 K:BB through his first 17 big-league innings makes Kowar impossible to trust in fantasy lineups.
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Royals' Jackson Kowar: Picks up another start
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Kowar will draw a second straight turn through the Kansas City rotation in Tuesday's game at Baltimore, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
After joining Kansas City when the roster expanded from 26 to 28 men, Kowar slotted back into the team's rotation. He delivered a quality start Sept. 1 in a no-decision versus Cleveland, striking out six over six innings while giving up two runs on five hits and three walks. The Royals will reward Kowar with another start as a result, and he should hold down a spot in the team's six-man rotation until one of Brad Keller (lat) or Jakob Junis (shoulder) returns from the injured list.
