KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Blake Beavan is ready to take another crack at the Mariners' rotation.

Beavan was optioned just over a month ago to Class AAA Tacoma, where he's rediscovered some of his form and an improved changeup. He went 4-0 with a 2.61 earned-run average in six starts for the Rainiers, including seven scoreless innings his last time out.

Beavan arrived here Monday. The Mariners are expected to send a relief pitcher to Tacoma, and Steve Delabar appears to be the leading candidate, given that he still has minor-league options, unlike fellow reliever Josh Kinney.

Beavan, 3-6 with a 5.92 ERA for the Mariners this season, will fill in for injured starter Erasmo Ramirez and start against Kansas City on Tuesday.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Ramirez will need another bullpen session or two, then a simulated game and a rehabilitation assignment in the minors before he's ready to return from a strained flexor bundle in his elbow.

Once Ramirez is ready to return, Beavan could bump Hisashi Iwakuma from the rotation, depending on which of them performs better in the interim.

Notes

• Brendan Ryan was laughing a lot harder before Monday's game than during it. Ryan had to leave in the second inning, shortly after fouling a ball off his left kneecap.

Ryan hit a single off Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez in the at-bat before being replaced at shortstop by Munenori Kawasaki. The kneecap was said to be bruised and Ryan is listed as day-to-day.

Before the game, Ryan did a live interview with MLB Network. His teammates watched inside the visitors' clubhouse on a giant-screen TV and convulsed with laughter as Ryan did impersonations of actors Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken, and the late baseball broadcaster Harry Caray.

The Caray impersonation contained some colorful sexual innuendo at the very end that the network appeared to attempt to mute without success during the live feed. Ryan's teammates doubled over with laughter.

Ryan said he never gave it a second thought after beginning the Caray routine.

"Once I started, I was all in," Ryan said.

• The Mariners' Chone Figgins insists he wasn't attempting a shoestring tackle of Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler while trying to break up a double play in Sunday's loss to Texas.

TV replays showed Figgins appearing to stick out his hand and grab Kinsler's foot as the Mariner slid toward the bag. Figgins said he's never tried to do that before, and that his hand was merely out as he was sliding and Kinsler's foot inadvertently got too close.

"I didn't even know I'd touched him," Figgins said. "After it was over, the umpire came up and said, 'You grabbed him.' And I was like 'Really? Oh, my bad.' I apologized to him and let him know I wasn't trying to do that."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @gbakermariners.