Waechter, who had a blister on the middle finger of his right hand, said the nail had cracked and a sliver of it was causing a problem.

"Every time I grabbed a ball, it felt like a pin sticking me in the finger," the reliever said.

So that part of the nail was removed by a doctor on Friday.

"I felt like chewing it off myself when I couldn't throw," Waechter said.

He has pitched in just one game, on Feb. 28, when he logged a scoreless inning against the Padres. Waechter was signed during the Winter Meetings, primarily as a middle reliever.

Left-hander John Bale, who underwent surgery for removal of his thyroid on March 3, has resumed throwing and is feeling stronger.

"I feel great," Bale said. "Three days of throwing and long-toss yesterday. I'll be throwing off the mound in a couple of days and see how it goes."

With the removal of the thyroid, Bale has to take medication for the rest of his life.

"It controls your metabolism, so if I didn't take it, I'd blow up like a balloon," Bale said.

Bale, who finished last season at 223 pounds, decided to lose about 10 pounds over the winter, and he was eating nourishing, sensible meals prepared by his wife, Genevieve.

But the weight loss continued, and he dropped to 203. Bale also experienced an increased heart rate, and after he got to camp, he noticed his hands and legs were trembling. Then a physical examination detected a hyperactive thyroid, and Bale opted for surgery.

Now he's gained four pounds to 207, and he is just three or four pounds from where he wants to be. Bale said he "definitely" expects to be pitching in games before Spring Training ends.

Another ailing pitcher, right-hander Julio Pimentel, had an MRI exam and was to see doctors on Saturday. Pimentel was pulled from Friday's game against the Rangers because of pain in his right elbow.

"Probably a strain or a sprain involving the ligament is the guess, but it's just a guess," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "We don't know."

Left fielder David DeJesus, who left Friday's game after three innings, said his sore right knee is better.