The Baltimore Orioles placed pitcher Nate Karns on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a right forearm strain and recalled reliever Evan Phillips from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move. Karns served as the opener for the O's in two games this year and hadn't allowed a run while striking out five in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander has no fantasy relevance if he's opening games or pitching out of the bullpen for the lowly Orioles.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Nate Karns will serve as the opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road on Wednesday. Karns went two scoreless innings last week against the Yankees as an opener but shouldn't be used in fantasy for another likely short outing. The Orioles are currently using the right-hander in somewhat of a swing role, severely limiting his fantasy value. Even if Karns enters the starting rotation at some point, he's not a very appealing fantasy starter.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Nate Karns will start as the opener on Saturday against the Yankees. Karns will mostly pitch in relief for Baltimore to begin the year, so he shouldn't be owned in fantasy leagues. The 31-year-old right-hander didn't pitch at all in 2018 because of injury and wasn't very effective in mostly a starting role the last two years with the Royals and Mariners. He won't be expected to go more than two innings against the Yankees this weekend.
The Baltimore Orioles signed free-agent starting pitcher Nate Karns to a one-year, $800,000 deal on Thursday. The deal includes $200,000 in incentives. It speaks to how bad the Orioles pitching staff is that Karns will have a shot to win a rotation spot in spring training. The 31-year-old right-hander didn't pitch at all in 2018 due to arm issues and threw only 45 1/3 innings (eight starts) for the Royals in 2017. Karns has only gone over 100 innings once in his five-year career and probably isn't anything more than a flier in deep AL-only leagues if he wins a spot in the rotation.
Kansas City Royals pitcher Nate Karns (elbow) has begun throwing again at extended spring training in Arizona, according to manager Ned Yost. Karns has been on the disabled list all season after suffering some elbow inflammation at the end of spring training. Initially believed to be returning almost immediately, Karns has instead suffered a series of setbacks. He was slated to return to the bullpen when he came back, but with Eric Skoglund gone for an extended period of time, Karns could possibly move back into the rotation instead.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Nate Karns (elbow) has been shut down from throwing and won't be traveling with the Royals on their road trip. It appears that Karns has suffered a setback while recovering from elbow inflammation. Karns was expected to return in April, but might not be back until possibly June. He belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Nate Karns (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Thursday. "He still felt a little something on his fastball," so he is not quite ready to return yet. It looks like Karns will initially return in a bullpen role, but with Eric Skogland struggling, he might get a shot in the rotation sooner rather than later. Karns will be looking to recapture his 2014 form. With the Tampa Bay Rays, Karns had a 3.67 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 147 innings. Since then, injuries have hampered him and he has been unable to repeat that season. Karns may become a late-season add if he breaks into the rotation, but for now he remains a player to monitor.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Nate Karns(shoulder) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Tuesday. Karns is working his way back from thoracic outlet surgery, and he's initially expected to be slotted into a relief role upon his return. While he'll start in relief, it wouldn't be surprising to see Karns eventually end up in the starting rotation since the majority of Kansas City's starters are middling at best.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Nate Karns(elbow) is eligible to return from the disabled list on Friday, but manager Ned Yost told reporters that he doesn't expect Karns to be activated right away. Per Yost, Karns is still feeling some soreness in his elbow, so it's unlikely that he'll be ready to go before the weekend. With the team scheduled to take on Cleveland in freezing temperatures over the weekend, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to put any additional stress on Karns' elbow for now.
The Kansas City Royals still have pitcher Nate Karns on the shelf for elbow inflammation, but manager Ned Yost revealed that once he does return, Karns will likely be heading to the bullpen. Karns has usually worked as a starter in the past, but after the team has had great success with converting previous starters like Wade Davis and Mike Minor to relief roles, they will be targeting the same kind of move for Karns. Like Davis and Minor, Karns has had minimal success as a starter, so the move could be a good one for him. It also may help him remain healthier, and as Davis and Minor have both shown, such a move could eventually result in some save opportunities.
