The Kansas City Royals will finally get second baseman Omar Infante back to full health for the first time in two years. According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the 34-year-old underwent elbow surgery to remove bone chips in November.
Infante is expected to be at full strength by the start of spring training. The team believes that Infante altered his throwing motion because of the elbow pain, which then forced a shoulder problem. Kansas City is confident that the shoulder pain will go away because of the fixed elbow.
With Ben Zobrist joining the Chicago Cubs this winter after playing a part of last season in Kansas City, Infante has a clear path to retake the starting slot at second base. The only threat to take away that position is the fourth overall draft pick by the Royals in 2010, Christian Colon, who has hit .303 with 12 RBI and five stolen bases in his major league career.
With Infante active, the infield will include: Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escober, Infante and Eric Hosmer ranging from left-to-right. Infante is the oldest of the infielders for Kansas City. The right-handed hitter is also the oldest player in the starting lineup for the Royals.
Infante was signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1999 out of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. He has played for the Tigers (2002-2007), Atlanta Braves (2008-2010), Miami Marlins (2011-2012), Tigers (2012-2013) and Royals (2014-2015) across his 14-year major league career. Over 1,468 career games, Infante has a .272 batting average with 82 home runs and 531 RBI.
The best season for the second baseman came in 2010 with the Braves, which was his only All-Star year. The 34-year-old, who was 28 at the time of the outstanding season, slashed .321/.359/.416 with eight home runs and 47 RBI across 134 games.