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Royals second baseman Omar Infante is set to return to the lineup just four days after being hit in the face by an errant pitch, as FSN Kansas City's Joel Goldberg reports. The pitch got away from Rays reliever Heath Bell. It hit Infante hard enough to sprain the right side of his jaw even though the ball hit him on the left side of his face.
He received stitches and was tested for a concussion.
The Royals' initial fear was that Infante's jaw was broken, but he appears to be doing well enough to be penciled in for Friday's game against the Twins.
Manager Ned Yost tentatively listed Infante as the starting second baseman batting in the two hole. The 32-year-old told Goldberg that he would take batting practice prior the game to determine if he's ready to return. So, he might be held out of Friday's game, but he appears to be on an amazingly fast track back to the field after what looked like a brutal impact.
Infante signed a four-year, $30.25 million deal with Kansas City this winter. Through his first six games as a royal, he hit .348/.423/.348 in 26 plate appearances.