Sullivan, a right-handed middle reliever, is in the process of refining a new delivery. He's raising his arm to a low three-quarters position instead of the straight sidearm motion he has used throughout his Major League career.

"The thing is, when you're talking about changing a motor skill, you're looking at 23 to 28 days," general manager Allard Baird said.

"Now you're asking a guy that's done this for so long to throw from that angle, be upright, find a consistent release point and also start to throw his secondary pitches from there."

Sullivan reported late to Spring Training because of a recurrence of the lower back problems that kept him from pitching from last Aug. 29 to the end of the season. He has not pitched in a game in Arizona.

This is the first major change in Sullivan's arm slot since he began throwing sidearm at Auburn University.

"I think it would be tough and we didn't put a time line on this," Baird said. "But the thing is, we want him to be good at that angle, not to just say that he can throw from that angle. That's been our goal all along."

Baird said it's too early to determine the next step for Sullivan.

"He's got to face hitters and that sort of thing," Baird said.

That could mean a minor league assignment to get in some work.

Graffanino examined: When second baseman Tony Graffanino turned his left ankle in Wednesday's game against the White Sox, he stayed in the game.

However, the ankle became swollen overnight and he was sent to have X-rays and an MRI on Thursday.

Graffanino has played in just six Cactus League games. He was held out of early games while he strengthened his right shoulder, which was surgically repaired last August.

If the injury proves to be serious, it could provide an opening for Ruben Gotay.

He's had a hot spring, batting .421 (16-for-38). Gotay leads the club with four home runs and 11 RBIs in 13 games.

Graffanino is 3-for-11 (.273).

News and features: • Royals notes: Pena doubts club's doubters • Royals hold off Astros in spring finale • Royals notes: Lima stays with team in Houston
Multimedia: • Stayin' Hot live from Royals Camp in Arizona  • Allard Baird on the Royals' progress  • Lefebvre discusses fixing last year's mistakes
Info:	Schedule  | Ballpark  |  Tickets MLB.com's complete coverage

Right-field battle: Emil Brown continued his bid for an outfield spot with two RBI singles in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Angels. Brown is 11-for-26 (.423). Abraham Nunez was 1-for-2 with a walk and is 5-for-26 (.192). Aaron Guiel had a two-out RBI single in his two at-bats and is 9-for-30 (.300).

Guiel has nine RBIs and one homer, Brown has eight RBIs and three homers, and Nunez has no homers and no RBIs.

Hunter cut: Outfielder Brian L. Hunter was reassigned to the minor league camp Thursday. Hunter appeared in 10 games and hit .250 (3-for-12).

Hunter probably will wind up at Triple-A Omaha, where he could be a backup option for center fielder David DeJesus. Last year Hunter was released from Triple-A Memphis by the Cardinals on May 31 and didn't play for the rest of the season.

Extra bases: Denny Bautista, the hard-throwing right-hander bidding for the fifth starter's job, pitched Thursday despite blisters on his middle and ring fingers. That kept him from throwing a curveball and limited him to three innings instead of four. Bautista gave up one run in the first inning. ... Right-hander Kyle Snyder, getting accustomed to relief pitching, worked one hitless inning. After an error, he induced a double-play grounder. "Emotionally I'm still a starter," Snyder said, "but I can handle it." ... Angel Berroa's home run was his first this spring. He's hitting .429 (15-for-35).

Up next: The Royals have a rematch with the Angels at 2:05 p.m. CT Friday at Surprise Stadium. Right-hander Runelvys Hernandez will start against Angels right-hander John Lackey.