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| John Bale has signed a deal with Japan's Hiroshima Carp, according to the Kyodo News. |
Our View: At 35 years of age and having posted a 5.72 ERA last season, it's safe to assume Bale's MLB career is in the books.
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| The Kansas City Star reports that the Royals have released pitcher John Bale. |
Our View: The 35-year-old reliever posted a rocky 5.72 ERA in 28.1 innings last season. He could be at the end of the line.
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| John Bale injured his right leg during Friday's battle with the Angels, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The reliever caught his right cleat in the dirt on his follow through on a pitch, locking his knee straight. He doubled over in pain, and needed to be assisted off the mound. The Royals are yet to update his status.
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| John Bale has been activated from the DL following his recovery from thyroid surgery, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Bale has a career 4.42 ERA in the majors, and will only hold fantasy value in deeper leagues that feature middle relievers.
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| MLB.com is reporting that John Bale is progressing nicely in his rehab from thyroid surgery. He has been promoted from Double to Triple-A, and he expects to return to the Royals' bullpen at the beginning of June. |
Our View: Bale has been very good in the minors so far, and it appears as if he will be good to go on June 3 when his 30-day rehab stint is up. He could garner some fantasy looks in leagues that count holds, but most likely he will be very limited in value.
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| John Bale continues to progress in his recovery from March surgery to remove a hyperactive thyroid, according to the Kansas City Star. |
Our View: He has not been scored on in each of his last two appearances in his rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He could return to the Royals' bullpen in around a week, but his fantasy value will be limited as a middle reliever.
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| John Bale suffered a setback in his first turn on the hill during his injury rehab stint at Double-A, according to MLB.com. He lasted just seven pitches before having to leave with a cramp in his buttock. |
Our View: Bale had thyroid surgery during spring training, so this setback obviously has nothing to do with that situation. Bale tossed just 26.2 innings with the Royals last season so he needs to prove he is healthy and regain a role of prominence in the Royals' pen before he is worth a look.
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| The Kansas City Star is reporting that John Bale could begin a rehab stint by the end of the month. Bale is recovering from surgery to remove a hyperactive thyroid. |
Our View: Bale said he is feeling good and has his weight back up to 217 pounds. He was clocked in the upper 80's in his last bullpen session, and he looks strong. His fantasy value is still nonexistent, however.
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| John Bale threw live batting practice Sunday for the first time since undergoing surgery March 3 to remove a hyperactive thyroid, according to the Kansas City Star. |
Our View: Manager Trey Hillman felt he looked good during his pitching session, and Hillman is going to see if he can work him into a game before the club finalizes their roster for opening day. As a fantasy prospect, Bale is not worth owning as of now.
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| Just days after having surgery, reliever John Bale could be back in Royals camp this week according to MLB.com. Bale is apparently recovering nicely and should be able to get in some spring innings. |
Our View: Bale holds very little value fantasy-wise, but it's a nice boost for the Royals and nice to see him recovering so quickly.
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| John Bale is slated for surgery Tuesday to correct a thyroid problem, according to the Kansas City Star. He has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism caused by Graves disease. |
Our View: He could be ready to resume workouts within two weeks following surgery. The 34-year-old vet would only hold fantasy value in deeper AL-only leagues that feature middle men if he makes the Royals' opening day roster.
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| John Bale, who is dealing with a stiff back, was slated to do some throwing today but skipper Trey Hillman didn't know when he might get back on the mound, according to MLB.com.
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Our View: The 34-year-old vet would only hold fantasy value in deeper AL-only leagues that feature middle men, if he manages to make the opening day roster.
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| K.C. reliever John Bale has a stiff back and did not participate in drills, according to Royals.com. |
Our View: Bale is a nobody and should be treated as such.
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| The Royals have agreed to a one-year deal with pitcher John Bale, the Kansas City Star reports. |
Our View: Bale opened 2008 as a starter but ran into shoulder problems. He rallied to throw 11.1 scoreless innings as a reliever in September. That will presumably be his role in 2009.
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| John Bale gave up three runs and two hits in one inning of work in Sunday's rehab outing with Triple-A Omaha, according to the KC Star. In eight rehab outings at Omaha, Bale is 0-2 with a 10.38 ERA in 8.2 innings.
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Our View: Bale continues to struggle (while recovering from left shoulder tightness) and does not look like he will be be recalled when rosters expand in September.
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| John Bale, who is recovering from left shoulder tightness, did not fare well in his latest rehab outing Monday, according to the KC Star. He pitched a 1-2-3 first inning for Triple-A Omaha, but was yanked in the second inning after allowing five earned runs. |
Our View: Bale is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA over 7.2 innings with Omaha, and is not worth waiting for as a fantasy hurler.
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| John Bale, who is recovering from left shoulder tightness, is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Tuesday, according to the KC Star. He will work at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. |
Our View: Bale has missed the last 81 games because of left shoulder fatigue and a broken left hand. He is not worth waiting for as a fantasy prospect, as he allowed 13 earned runs over 15.1 innings this season prior to getting hurt, with a 0-3 record.
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| John Bale played catch from about 45 feet on Friday. He made roughly 20 throws, the John Bale reports. Bale is on the DL due to a broken left hand and sore left shoulder. |
Our View: Bale busted his hand on May 4, and the recovery time called for a couple months. He was a starter before running into shoulder issues, but he may not have a spot when he is healthy.
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| John Bale has sustained a broken hand after punching the door at the team hotel on Friday, according to the Kansas City Star. Bale punched the door out of frustration for his slow recovery from a fatigued left shoulder. Manager Trey Hillman said, "I’m not pleased, obviously. Players have to think before they do things. They’ve got to think about how it’s going to affect the rest of their team, how it’s going to affect their ability to perform and how it’s going to affect the whole group. I’m hopeful that there’s something salvageable for him. We’ll just have to wait to see where it goes."
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Our View: Bale reportedly won't be returning to active duty any time soon. He held a 1.83 WHIP and 7.63 ERA over 15.1 innings, with eight strikeouts, and isn't worth waiting for as a fantasy prospect.
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| John Bale is likely to go to the bullpen when he returns from the DL, according to the Kansas City Star. "I like John Bale being on this staff," manager Trey Hillman said. "If it ends up being three lefties and four righties in the bullpen, I think everybody is OK with that." Bale is scheduled to test his fatigued shoulder by throwing a live batting practice before Friday's game, and he'll throw another session before returning. |
Our View: Bale posted a 7.63 ERA in three starts before his injury after looking good this spring. His fantasy value out of the bullpen is nil.
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| John Bale garnered praise from Manager Trey Hillman after testing his ailing left shoulder in a pre-game bullpen session on Tuesday, but he holds no guarantee of rejoining the rotation once he returns to active duty, according to the Kansas City Star. Hillman said, "It’s getting out of his hand well. He’s pain-free and, hopefully, we’re on the right track. I don’t know if we’re going to be within the time frame of the next couple of days. But at least he’s on the right track to get back."
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Our View: Bale is eligible to return on Thursday from the DL following his bout with right shoulder tightness, but could move to the bullpen upon his return. He was 0-3 as a starter, with a 7.63 ERA and 1.83 WHIP.
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| The Royals placed John Bale on the 15-day DL Thursday due to left shoulder fatigue, the Kansas City Star confirms. Bale reported a "dead arm" following his last start. Reliever Joel Peralta was called up to take his roster spot. Bale was scheduled to start this Sunday. |
Our View: The Royals haven't said who will start on Sunday, but signs point to former No. 1 overall pick Luke Hochevar. If the prospect pitches well, Bale might not get his spot back.
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| John Bale will be monitored over the next few days by the team, after complaining of a "dead arm" following his tough start on Tuesday against Seattle, according to the Kansas City Star. Pitching coach Bob McClure commented, "He’s just tired. Most pitchers get it at some point in the season. It just feels like the ball isn’t coming out of your hand right. It usually goes away. There is some concern there that it happened this early. We need to keep an eye on it."
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Our View: The converted reliever is 0-3 with a 7.63 ERA as a starter this season, and his replacement would likely be Luke Hochever, who is pithing well in Triple-A right now.
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| John Bale allowed five runs on seven hits, lasting only three-plus innings in a 11-6 loss to Seattle on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Bale is hanging on by a thread as the Royals fifth starter and shouldn't be anywhere near a fantasy roster, not even deep AL-only formats.
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| John Bale was exited from the mound after six innings on Thursday night, a 6-1 loss to the Yankees. The Royals left-hander allowed four runs and eight hits with a walk while striking out three. |
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| John Bale closed a strong spring by holding a collection of minor leaguers to one run and two hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out seven, this according to the Kansas City Star.
Plans call for Bale to start Friday night at Minnesota. He stayed in Arizona when the rest of the club broke camp Thursday afternoon in order to stay on his regular pitching schedule.
Bale is scheduled to rejoin the club in time for the opener. |
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| The Kansas City Star reports that John Bale has earned the No. 4 slot in the Royals rotation.
"Bale earned it," manager Trey Hillman said. "Johnny has been outstanding all through spring training. The left-hander threw 40 innings in 2007, and recorded 42 strikeouts in that span. |
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| John Bale appears to be getting closer to locking up a rotation spot with the Royals. "I like John Bale's chances, and I like Brett Tomko's chances," manager Trey Hillman admitted in the Kansas City Star, "but I'm not going to pencil either one of them into the rotation yet. We're going to continue to evaluate the others." Bale made 26 appearances for the Royals last year, all out of the bullpen. He's started nine games in his career. The Royals would like to have a lefty in the rotation, and it appears Bale has distanced himself from Mike Maroth and Jorge De La Rosa. |
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| John Bale is making a strong case to earn the final spot in the Royals starting rotation, according to the KC Star. "Coming out of the bullpen last year," catcher John Buck said, "he just threw a lot of power stuff. He can still reach back and do that when he needs to, but he’s commanding the ball a little more. He’s showing some finesse stuff. With that combination, you can see what he can do." What he has done is have two strong starts, including Monday's three scoreless innings. Bale lost 20 pounds during the offseason after he was told he'd have a shot at starting this spring. The Royals are looking to add a lefty to the mix, and thus far, Bale is ahead of the ailing Mike Maroth and Jorge De La Rosa, who gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings on Monday. |
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| Lefty John Bale threw three scoreless innings on Monday as the Royals defeated the White Sox 7-6. Bale struck out four, giving him seven K's in five innings of spring work. Bale was signed during the 2007 season after spending three years in Japan. The southpaw will begin the season as specialist out of the bullpen but continued success this spring will raise question marks about his ability to get the team out of any jam with a strike out. |
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| John Bale is expected to be activated Saturday. He has yet to pitch in a game for the Royals this year due to tightness in his left shoulder, according to the AP. |
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| Reliever John Bale tossed two scoreless innings during an outing at Triple-A Omaha, reports the Kansas City Star. Bale struck out three innings and has now worked six scoreless innings in four appearances since his rehab assignment began on May 27. He continues to recover from the strained shoulder and back that has kept him out of action since spring training. |
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| John Bale is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Wichita today, according to the KC Star. It'll be his first game action since straining his shoulder in mid March. |
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| John Bale could begin a rehab assignment by this weekend, according to the KC Star. Bale is on the disabled list with a strained shoulder and could get back in game action by mid May. |
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| John Bale isn't expected to start the year with the Royals due to a shoulder strain, the team's official site reports. Bale is also dealing with discomfort in the back area.
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| John Bale has been limited recently by tightness in his shoulder area, according to the KC Star. Bale faced only three batters before exiting Saturday's contest. |
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