The Royals optioned Kowar to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
The writing was on the wall for Kowar's demotion after the Royals shifted him to the bullpen after a disastrous first two starts following his June 7 promotion from Triple-A Omaha. After giving up eight earned runs while recording only six outs between the two starts, Kowar fared only marginally better in long relief Saturday against the Red Sox, surrendering two runs on three hits over two innings. He'll slot back into the rotation at Omaha and will look to recapture some success before the Royals entertain the idea of calling him up again.