Mike Moustakas, recovering from thumb injury, likely to return to Royals this weekend
More than four hours before the Royals met the Red Sox on Tuesday, Mike Moustakas took ground balls at third base, another step in his return to action.
It could happen as early as this weekend after a rehabilitation stint with Class AA Northwest Arkansas
“We might shoot for Saturday,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He looked great in the cage yesterday. He went out and took ground balls today. He looked good.”
The Royals visit the Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox starting Friday. Moustakas was placed on the disabled list on May 7, retroactive to May 5, because of a sesamoid fracture in his left thumb. He was hitting .258 with a club-high seven homers in 25 games before going on the disabled list. He could head to Northwest Arkansas as soon as Wednesday.
“We’ll send him out for a couple of days, let him get some at-bats and have him ready to come back this weekend,” Yost said.
The Star's Rustin Dodd contributed to this report.
Blair Kerkhoff: 816-234-4730, @blairkerkhoff. Download True Blue, The Star’s Royals app.
This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 6:12 PM with the headline "Mike Moustakas, recovering from thumb injury, likely to return to Royals this weekend."