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Royals manager Ned Yost careful about picking spots for first-timers like Kyle Zimmer

Yes, Royals manager Ned Yost feels a need to get young bullpen pitchers such as Kyle Zimmer, Scott Barlow and Chris Ellis into a game soon. But Yost has no intention of forcing it.

Of the three, only Barlow has thrown a pitch in a regular-season big-league game going into Sunday’s finale of the three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

“You run into a little bit go an issue,” Yost said. “For me, I don’t want to have to force-feed them. But I may have to.”

Zimmer, one of the feel-good stories coming out of camp, hasn’t pitched in a game since March 24, in Arizona.