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Royals move Aaron Crow back to bullpen following Joakim Soria’s elbow injury

Aaron Crow

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Aaron Crow (43) throws in the ninth inning during a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners Saturday, April 16, 2011, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals won 7-0. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

AP

So much for Aaron Crow’s transition from reliever to starter.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that the Royals have decided to cancel those plans and move Crow back to the bullpen following Joakim Soria’s elbow injury.

Soria was diagnosed with a damaged ulnar collateral ligament and might be headed for Tommy John surgery, which would move Jonathan Broxton or Greg Holland into the closer role and create a setup man opening for Crow.

Crow made the All-Star team as a rookie reliever last season and finished with a 2.76 ERA and 65/31 K/BB ratio in 65 innings, but the 25-year-old right-hander was a starter in college and the minors. However, he posted a 5.26 ERA in 32 starts as a minor leaguer and there was some skepticism about whether Crow had the off-speed stuff to thrive as a starter. And now we may never find out.