Omar Infante Injury: Updates on Royals 2B's Jaw and Return

Updates from Sunday, May 18

Andy McCullough of KansasCity.com provides a statement from Royals manager Ned Yost discussing Omar Infante's potential return:

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Royals second baseman Omar Infante is eligible to return from the disabled list on Thursday, but his return to baseball activity has been gradual. Infante played catch before Saturday’s game against the Orioles; he has yet to do anything more extensive.

Manager Ned Yost declined to say when Infante might be available.

'We’ll figure it out. We’ve got to see where he’s at first. He’s feeling much better.'

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Updates from Tuesday, April 8

The Royals have released a statement on Omar Infante's injury status:

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Omar Infante should arguably count himself lucky after a scary incident in Monday night's game between the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Royals second baseman was hit in the chin by a pitch. CBS Sports' Eye on Baseball reported that Infante remained conscious, though, which is a good sign:

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that Infante was bloodied by the hit-by-pitch, but was able to walk off the field:

Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City added manager Ned Yost's thoughts after the game:

Vernier tweeted that Heath Bell's pitch was clocked at 89 miles per hour:

Prior to exiting the game, Infante was 1-for-2 with a walk. Danny Valencia replaced him in the Royals' lineup.

There's no doubt that Infante will spend at least some time on the disabled list.

The good news is that he walked off the field under his own power and remained cognizant of his surroundings. The 32-year-old Venezuelan looks to have avoided what could've been a serious injury on Monday.