Royals second baseman Omar Infante battling sore right shoulder in playoffs

The evidence of Omar Infante’s discomfort resides on his face. After his sidearm tosses from second base, he often grimaces momentarily. The pain relates from a sore right shoulder, which has pestered him during the second half, hampered his throwing, cut down his pregame hitting and led to a disappointing first season in Kansas City.

“Sometime I feel frustrated,” Infante said. “Because this year, it’s been really tough for me, man.”

When the Royals record a strikeout and the baseball sails around the horn in the infield, his teammates skip Infante. He does not want to waste bullets in his arm. He has limited practicing double-play turns with shortstop Alcides Escobar during batting practice. He rarely throws overhand.

Infante is not expected to lose playing time against Baltimore in the American League Championship Series, even though he did not record a hit in the AL Division Series. He’s in his first season of a four-year, $30.25 million contract, and expects an examination of his shoulder in the offseason that could lead to minor surgery to repair any lingering damage.

A year-end physical is a routine part of the big-league schedule. General manager Dayton Moore declined to speculate on how Infante’s health has affected him down the stretch.

“Omar is a very private person,” Moore said during Thursday’s workout at Camden Yards. “I guess you’d have to ask him. I don’t know. I’ve seen him cut the ball loose, but it may be having some effect.”

Infante finished 2014 with a .632 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, his lowest since he was a 23-year-old with Detroit in 2005. Little has gone right for him this season. He experienced soreness in his right elbow and right shoulder in spring training. A pitch hit him in the face in April. He missed two weeks because of a back problem in May.

As the season wore on, his shoulder discomfort continued. He received an injection to combat soreness in the back of the joint about two months ago, he said. Now the pain has shifted to the front of his shoulder.

“When I swing in BP, I feel a lot of pain,” Infante said. “I can’t swing really hard. I feel bad, because all year, I’ve felt something.”

With Christian Colon on the roster, the Royals appear to have an alternative to Infante available. But manager Ned Yost has given no indication he will deviate from the lineup that brought the Royals to this point. Infante hopes to grind through the rest of the season, and fix whatever ails him in the winter.

“When the year is over, we’ll have to check everything,” Infante said. “I want to come back next year to feel good. This year has been very tough for me.”

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Royals second baseman Omar Infante battling sore right shoulder in playoffs."