Sam Long Injury: Moving assignment to Triple-A

The Royals are expected to transfer Long's rehab assignment from the rookie-level Arizona Complex League to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Long has been on the injured list since April 13 due to left elbow inflammation but made his return to game action with the Royals' ACL affiliate Tuesday, when he struck out a batter and allowed one run on two hits and no walks. The southpaw will face a stiffer challenge as he shifts his rehab to the Triple-A level, where he'll likely make at least a handful of appearances before the Royals activate him. Once he's reinstated, Long is likely to fill a low-leverage role out of the Kansas City bullpen.