Moore says Royals knew about Infante's bone spur when they signed him
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Royals knew about second baseman Omar Infante's bone spur in his right elbow when they signed him last December and were not overly concerned, general manager Dayton Moore said.
"It's fairly common for players to have that type of issue," Moore said by phone. "It's not serious. It's mostly a matter of treating the discomfort and managing that. Not a major concern."
Infante, who signed a four-year, $30.25 million deal, was treated with a cortisone injection in his elbow Tuesday.
"Really, the only time that type of injury becomes a concern is if the chips break off and start floating around," Moore said. "That's when you might opt for the minor surgery. It would be a relatively short stint on the (disabled list)."
Infante isn't scheduled to resume throwing until possibly sometime later today. He also recently recovered from a nagging case of shoulder inflammation.
The Royals so far this spring have had concerns with the health of their middle infield. Shortstop Alcides Escobar also has had a bout of shoulder inflammation and also has had a cortisone shot. Escobar is scheduled to play today.
But despite those health issues, Moore maintains that the club won't alter its plans in terms of roster construction -- as it stands now, the Royals are likely to break camp without an experienced backup middle infielder.
"There's no change in our thinking at all," Moore said. "No reason to. We still have time."
Moore said he also doesn't expect either Infante or Escobar to start the season on the disabled list.
"Having talked to our medical people and having talked to the players themselves, I don't think that's a concern," Moore said. "Esky is doing great right now and Omar said he feels confident he'll be fine by Opening Day.
"If we have to adjust to the situation at some point, we'll adjust. The roster is always something you'll have to massage as the season goes on -- I've said that many times. But right now, our plans haven't changed."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter @jflanagankc or email jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
