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KC Royals: Omar Infante May Miss Some Time

By Scott Dillon

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The KC Royals second base job has been reported to be up for grabs. Will Omar Infante’s rehab hurt his chances?

Omar Infante is coming off of one of the worst, if not the worst, seasons of his career. He posted career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage with a slash line of .220/.234/.318.

The Royals made a trade for Ben Zobrist that helped bring a championship to Kansas City, but now he’s gone and questions abound as to who should fill the void left at second base. The leading candidates seem to be Christian Colon and Omar Infante, but a late start in spring training could hurt Infante’s chances.

Jeffrey Flanagan, the Royals’ beat writer for MLB.Com, wrote an article that indicates Infante may not be able to play in the field for the first seven to ten games of Spring Training.

While the article indicates Infante won’t be able to play in the field, it doesn’t necessarily rule him out from taking at-bats in those first few games. No one needs to see proof that he can play second base defensively as he’s proven to be a good defensive player for the Royals.

The only real question mark surrounding Infante is whether or not he’ll be able to swing the bat better than he did in 2015. In Flanagan’s article it would appear that the bone spur removal may help improve that area. He quotes Infante stating:

"In fact, Infante said he has been able to do something he hasn’t in years — upper body weightlifting.“For three years, I really couldn’t do much because of my elbow and then my shoulder,” Infante said. “But now this [surgery] helped a lot.”Indeed, Infante appears to have added muscle in his chest and shoulders."

Whether or not Infante’s increased muscle mass will positively affect his result at the plate remains to be seen. This competition at second base should prove to be a good thing for the Royals regardless of the outcome.

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Best case scenario would see a healthy Omar Infante flash some numbers similar to those in his 2013 campaign. That’s what helped him earn the money the Royals are paying him anyways. It would be a shame to see the remaining dollars on that contract go to waste, but should he struggle they should be quick to bench him.

Christian Colon endeared himself to the team and the fans with his postseason heroics. Knowing that he has a shot could motivate him to show even more of his potential. He’s already proven that he wont shy away from adversity and has stepped up in a big way on more than one occasion when under pressure.

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If internal competition can bring out the best in both of these players then the Royals have a great problem on their hands. Talented depth is never a bad thing and knowing that a player can fill in  for injury or days off is a huge benefit.

Having the players push each other to be at their best without holding animosity towards the team is a rare commodity and is one of the reasons the Royals’ chemistry is the way that it is. The reason they’ve come out on top in recent years is their ability to count on each other and pick each other up. If one person fails to get the job done, the next man up always seems to come through.

Next: Royals' Top Second Basemen

What do you think KC Royals’ fans? Will Omar Infante have a better season in 2016? Is the job Christian Colon’s to lose? Who’ll man second base when the Mets come to Kauffman in April. Let me know in the comments’ section below.

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