KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Royals have designated struggling starter Jonathan Sanchez for assignment. The Royals announced the move before Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners. Sanchez was 1-6 with a 7.76 ERA in 12 starts. The left-hander, who threw a no-hitter for San Francisco in July 2009, gave up seven runs in 1 1-3 innings in Monday night’s loss to the Mariners. The Royals acquired Sanchez and minor-leaguer Ryan Verdugo last November from the Giants for outfielder Melky Cabrera, who is hitting .353 and was named MVP of last week’s All-Star Game in Kansas City. The Royals recalled Verdugo, who was slated to start Tuesday night, and right-hander Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A Omaha. Outfielder Jason Bourgeois, who had a .333 average in 19 games, was optioned to Omaha.
