Zimmer aims to bolster 'pen; Dozier rehab

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals received a bullpen boost when Kyle Zimmer took the mound on Friday for the first time since a left trapezius strain sidelined him for three weeks. The right-hander threw a scoreless inning in the club's 7-5 loss to the Tigers, but he’ll likely start working back to a higher leverage role, which will help with depth in the back end of the 'pen.

For now, though, Zimmer was happy to get back on the mound in front of fans at Kauffman Stadium. The trap strain had caused his left shoulder to lock up and forced him to “not do much of anything” for about four or five days at the beginning of the month before he could start to throw on his way to a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha.

“After that first game in Minnesota [April 30], I was in the weight room doing my normal postgame shoulder routine, and just felt like I had gotten stabbed all of a sudden,” Zimmer said. “Just completely locked up. It was weird, and super frustrating. Couldn’t move my head for three or four days.”

In the first month of the season, Zimmer allowed five runs in 13 1/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts, and one poor outing on April 20 -- four runs on five hits in one inning -- skewed those numbers. It wasn’t ideal for him or the bullpen to be sidelined.

“It was frustrating because [my] arm was feeling good, I was in a good rhythm,” Zimmer said. “But that just happens. Weird things happen when you use your body for a living. It was something I had to deal with, trust the process, got over the hump and good to be back.”

The rehab assignment did allow for a fun quirk: Zimmer faced his brother, Bradley, an outfielder with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate and a year younger than Kyle. Kyle allowed a single, but otherwise got out of the scoreless inning. Besides, Kyle said, he let Bradley win -- this time.

“I gave him a cookie,” Zimmer said with a grin. “He had been struggling a little bit with his confidence. He won’t get another two-strike fastball when we face again. It was cool. You see him stroll up to the plate and it’s hard not to just start laughing looking at each other.”

The Zimmer family was watching online when the two faced off, and Kyle is hoping that they can all be in a Major League stadium next time.

“I can strike him out and laugh at him on his way back to the dugout,” Kyle said.

Dozier begins rehab assignment

Third baseman Hunter Dozier was sent to Omaha on Saturday to begin his rehab assignment after a scary collision with White Sox first baseman José Abreu last week put Dozier on the seven-day concussion injured list. Along with the concussion, Dozier has dealt with neck tightness and a quad contusion. There isn’t a set amount of at-bats or innings Dozier will have in Omaha, but the Royals want to make sure he’s healthy, able to get his timing down at the plate and hopefully get his swing in a better place.

Dozier had a rough start to the season, hitting just .139 with a .541 OPS. He ranks in the top percentage of the league in average exit velocity (76 mph, according to Statcast) and hard-hit percentage (75 percent), but there haven’t been a lot of results to show for it. His strikeouts (37 in 33 games) are up and walks (nine) are down. Getting some at-bats in Omaha could help fine-tune his swing mechanics and build confidence.

“You’re always hesitant to think that injury can work out for the positive,” manager Mike Matheny said. “These guys train all year to be able to answer the bell. But sometimes when you’re in a bad spot and something happens, you just try and maximize it, giving your body a little break and then get your mind maybe in a better place. Hopeful that’s the case.”

Royals roster moves

The Royals acquired right-handed reliever Domingo Tapia from the Mariners for cash considerations on Saturday, putting him on the 40-man roster and optioning him to Omaha. To make room on the 40-man, reliever Jesse Hahn (right shoulder impingement) was placed on the 60-day IL.

Tapia logged two scoreless innings for Seattle early this year, allowing four hits and striking out one. At Triple-A Tacoma, he posted a 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. The 29-year-old has a sinker that averages 98 mph and a slider at 86 mph, with some serious movement on both.

“Big arm with movement,” Matheny said. “Guy with that kind of velocity, ball sinking -- I’m excited for our guys to watch him and work with him a bit to see what we can do to hopefully help him take that next step.”

Beckwith passes at 66

Joe Beckwith, a pitcher with the 1985 World Series champion Royals, died on Saturday morning. He was 66. The Royals, who held a moment of silence before the first pitch of their game against the Tigers, sent their condolences to his family and announced his passing on Twitter.

Beckwith was an Auburn baseball legend from 1974-77, and he still holds the program record for career complete games (20). He also ranks third in career ERA (1.92) and fourth in wins (31). He was a key member of the Auburn team that reached the College World Series in 1976, and the Dodgers selected the right-hander in the second round of the 1977 MLB Draft.

The Royals traded for Beckwith in 1983, and he spent two years in Kansas City, posting a 3.73 ERA across 195 2/3 innings (98 games) with three saves. He pitched two scoreless innings in the 1985 World Series against St. Louis, helping to give the Royals their first title in franchise history, with three strikeouts and no walks.