Kansas City, Mo. ? Royals pitcher Brett Tomko, demoted from the rotation to the bullpen after several rough starts, was designated for assignment Thursday.

The 35-year-old righty was 2-7 with a 6.97 ERA. Opponents hit .314 against him, with 11 home runs in 602â3 innings.

The last-place Royals called up Carlos Rosa, a 23-year-old right-hander, from Triple-A Omaha. He was a combined 6-3 with a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Omaha.