GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- With each spring outing, Royals left-hander Jason Vargas continues to build arm strength along with confidence in his arm's bounce-back ability.
Vargas, who missed almost all of last season because of Tommy John surgery in 2015, made his third spring start Saturday and tossed three shutout innings in a 7-6 loss to the Indians.
Vargas reports his arm has bounced back well so far in game outings and bullpens this spring.

"Everything has been normal," Vargas said. "The body has been responding really well. Happy with that."
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Saturday was another test as Vargas threw 54 pitches, 30 for strikes. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out three.
Vargas was disappointed, though, in the walks.
"It would have been nice to work on some 'not 0-2 walks,'" Vargas said. "I missed some pitches, and was unable to put some guys away. I'd like to eliminate that if I could."
Vargas finished strong, facing the minimum in the third inning while striking out one.
"I was definitely a lot sharper and crisper getting the ball through the strike zone that inning," he said. "I was able to work through not getting pitches that may have been strikes or may not have been. It's nice to go out with that third inning instead of struggling."