Surprise, Ariz. ? Jimmy Gobble couldn’t be doing much better in his efforts to make the Kansas City pitching staff.

Gobble, a 22-year-old left-hander from Bristol, Va., is 1-0 and has not allowed a run in his first two appearances. He has held opposing batters to a .118 average, has walked none and struck out four in five innings.

There are at least two vacancies in the Royals’ rotation, and Gobble has the early lead to secure one.

“I have no control of what the choices are going to be,” Gobble said. “The only thing I can control is what I do on the mound. I could go through some rough spots and show them some improvement.

“I might do good while in spring training and they still might not keep me. The only thing I can do is go out and pitch my game and hopefully at some point and time I’ll get a chance to help this team.”

The Royals needed Gobble’s help last August when they had five starters on the disabled list. They summoned Gobble from Class AA Wichita, where he was 12-8 with a 3.19 earned run average in 22 starts.

Gobble won his first two big league starts against Tampa Bay, while not allowing a run in 12 innings. He finished with a 4-5 record and a 4.61 ERA in nine starts.

“I feel like those nine starts, they helped me a lot,” Gobble said. “It was a confidence thing. You get to play with the guys, get to know them better.”

Gobble allowed just one hit in three innaings Monday in picking up a victory against the San Francisco Giants. Gobble, however, was critical of the way he threw.

“I wasn’t sharp and I wasn’t crisp,” Gobble said. “My off-speed stuff helped me.”

Kansas City might need Gobble even more after right-hander Brian Bass, one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects, said Tuesday he wouldn’t be able to pitch for a while because of an elbow injury.

An MRI showed Bass had a bone bruise on his right elbow. He said he had been told he would not be allowed to throw for at least seven days and perhaps for up to four weeks.

Bass’ injury is just the latest of several setbacks for the Royals pitching staff. Right-hander Kyle Snyder needed shoulder surgery in February and is out for the season.

Miguel Asencio, who had right elbow surgery last June, suffered soreness in his elbow early in camp and has not been able to throw for the past 10 days.