Tomko’s spot on the roster taken by Rosa
By DAVID BOYCE
The Kansas City Star
When Brett Tomko left Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night after another poor relief performance, he had a feeling his days as a Royal were just about over.
His premonition became reality Thursday morning when the Royals designated Tomko for assignment and called up right-handed pitcher Carlos Rosa from Class AAA Omaha.
“I went home last night and had a feeling they might do something,” Tomko said. “It happens. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I can still throw the ball. Stuffwise, it’s been a lot better than last year, and I last year I got a lot of phone calls.”
Tomko, 35, could accept an assignment to Omaha, or the Royals have 10 days to trade or release him. He signed a one-year contract in January for $3 million. He was 2-7 this season with a 6.97 ERA in 16 games, including 10 starts.
Tomko’s salary is guaranteed. If he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, any club can sign him for a prorated portion of the $390,000 minimum salary for major-league players. The Royals would be obligated for the balance.
“He is still throwing 93, but location matters, especially against an offense like Texas,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “But I don’t want to pin what has happened to the Royals on Brett Tomko. It’s not Brett Tomko’s fault that we are 16 (now 15) games under.”
Tomko went through this last season. He opened the year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was 2-11 with a 5.80 ERA. He finished the year with San Diego and went 2-1 with a 4.61 ERA.
“Hopefully, the reports are good, and people can see past the numbers,” Tomko said. “I’m going to take a few days and kind of figure out what I’m going to do and go from there.”
More than likely there will be some interest in Tomko because of his velocity. He admits his location needs to be better.
“When I look at it, I’m just getting the ball up,” Tomko said. “If you keep throwing midthigh, you are going to get hit. I’m just leaving a lot of balls up for whatever reason.”
Rosa’s rise
Rosa began the season as a starter at Class AA Northwest Arkansas and went 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA before he was promoted to Class AAA Omaha. In five starts at Omaha, he was 2-1 with an ERA of 3.96.
A 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander, Rosa entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 6 prospect. He has been on the 40-man roster but had never been in uniform for a big-league game until Thursday afternoon.
Hillman will use Rosa in relief.
“The reports are he is ready to help us here,” Hillman said. “He is going to have to be prepared to pitch and get outs when we give him the ball. I can’t tell you exactly how we will use him.”
Interleague play
Given the Royals’ moderate success against the National League the last two years, the final 2½ weeks of interleague play is coming at the right time. Kansas City went 10-8 against the National League in both 2006 and 2007.
The Royals were 2-1 at Florida in the first interleague series this year. They head to Arizona tonight and then to St. Louis on Tuesday before returning home for a nine-game home stand vs. San Francisco, Colorado and the Cardinals starting June 20.
“I hope it gets us going again,” Buck said. “Maybe the reason is: When we go to their (National League) parks, we are more of a bunt-and-get-them-over, and we play more of a traditional ballgame. It’s the way our team is structured. …
“But if I knew the exact answer, we would all harp on it.”
Draft signings
The Royals signed four more players from the 2008 draft: outfielder Carlos Testa, 18th round, Belmont University; outfielder Shawn Griffin, 20th, Tennessee; left-handed pitcher Blaine Hardy, 22nd, Lewis-Clark State College; and left-handed pitcher Stephen Gilgenbach, 47th, Arkansas-Little Rock.
Minor details
The Royals sent catcher Damaso Espino, who had been playing at Omaha, to Cleveland for cash.
To reach David Boyce, sports reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4745 or send e-mail to dboyce@kcstar.com
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