Cameron (low back tightness) misses start, but expected to return soon

KANSAS CITY -- Left-handed starter Noah Cameron was scratched from Tuesday’s start against the Guardians at Kauffman Stadium with low back tightness, but the Royals don’t expect him to miss much more time and were already encouraged by how Cameron was progressing by Tuesday afternoon.

Cameron said he would be “capable” of pitching through it, but in an effort to be careful with his health still early in the season, the Royals brought righty Stephen Kolek back from the 15-day injured list to make Tuesday’s start. In a corresponding move, reliever Mason Black was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

Cameron felt the tightness in his back after his outing last Thursday against the A’s, and it continued to feel tight as he threw on the days after that start. By Sunday, the Royals made the decision to go with Kolek for Cameron’s start on Tuesday.

“They’re like, ‘Hey, it’s too early to push it,’” Cameron said. “If it were August or September, I would be very capable of pitching through it. Right now, just trying to be smart and see where we are. It’s feeling a lot better. I’ll be ready whenever.”

Having Kolek ready to come up to the big leagues made pushing Cameron back an easier decision. Kolek has been sidelined since late February with a left oblique strain, but he’s made four rehab starts with Omaha over the past month and posted a 2.76 ERA across 16 1/3 innings with four walks and 14 strikeouts. He’s pitched into the 70-pitch range in his past two starts there, so he’s built up for the Royals.

“His efficiency has been good,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He came right out using everything. He feels comfortable with the shapes of his pitches, throwing a lot of strikes, and that’s what he did last year. Just challenge hitters and put the ball in play.”

The injury Kolek suffered in Spring Training was unfortunate, but it was early enough that the Royals knew they’d be relying on him throughout most of the season. His presence has become even more important, too, with other depth pieces like Ryan Bergert on the injured list in Triple-A after having Tommy John surgery last week. Kolek and Bergert were both acquired from San Diego at the Trade Deadline last year, and Kolek posted a 1.91 ERA with five starts for Kansas City in the second half.

The Royals haven’t decided when Cameron will pitch next -- whether he slots back in the next time his spot comes around (which would be Sunday against the Tigers) or if they’ll reshuffle the order to bring him back earlier in the week.

“That part, we haven’t exactly figured it out,” Quatraro said. “But we don’t anticipate it being anything more than one skip, one time. … He could have pitched today, probably, but we were just trying to take the bigger-picture view of the whole season. Having a guy like Kolek available made it an easier decision.”