The inspiration for Paulo Orlando’s tattoo of himself came at the last minute

Paulo Orlando sauntered through the Royals clubhouse on Monday morning, a 30-year-old outfielder ready to embark on his second season in the majors leagues. As Orlando began his first day at spring training, he also carried a reminder of his rookie season on his back.

Last week, while at home in Brazil, Orlando got a tattoo that commemorated his big-league debut on April 9, 2015. The tattoo included an image of Orlando swinging a bat and the official date of his debut. The idea, Orlando said on Monday, actually came at the last minute.

“I just want to make something about baseball and my career and my life,” Orlando said. “I think about making (at tattoo with) the trophy, the (World Series) championship.”

But then he changed his mind. The tattoo artist, a friend of Orlando’s, suggested an action shot. Orlando complied by searching for the right image.

“I got a photo,” Orlando said.

As Orlando arrived on Monday, he showed off the tattoo to teammates. He enters camp as a favorite to earn a platoon spot with Jarrod Dyson in right field. Royals manager Ned Yost has said that he is excited to see and evaluate outfielders Brett Eibner, Jose Martinez and Reymond Fuentes. But Orlando, who batted .249 with seven homers, six triples and 14 doubles last season, is well-positioned to be on the Royals’ opening-day roster.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 2:37 PM with the headline "The inspiration for Paulo Orlando’s tattoo of himself came at the last minute."