Royals’ Hunter Dozier returns to the lineup after being sidelined by hand injury
The extra batting glove was the only visible change in Kansas City Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier as he returned to the lineup Wednesday.
Dozier came out of the Royals season opener last week because of what the club called a thumb contusion on his right hand. Swelling in the hand forced Dozier out of the game and the club cautiously kept him out of the lineup for the next three games.
But Dozier started at third base and batted sixth in the second game of a two-game set against the Cleveland Indians and defending AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber at Progressive Field. He went 0 for 4 with a strikeout as the Royals lost 4-2.
“We almost made a late scratch the other day and put him in the lineup,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said before the game. “I threw him batting practice and he lost a high number of balls. The strength was there. He looked great. Throwing the ball across the infield, everything looked good.”
Dozier typically wears a batting glove on his left hand when hitting, but never on his right. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he had one on his right hand. Even on cold days, he’d toyed with the idea of wearing two gloves, but it never stuck.
“I can’t remember a time when I’ve worn two,” Dozier said before the game.
Because of protective padding around his thumb, he didn’t have a choice on Wednesday.
“I’ll actually have to wear a batting glove on my right hand, which is going to be weird,” Dozier said. “But I’ll do whatever just to get in that lineup. So it will be good enough.”
While Dozier admitted his hand was still sore, he said the swelling went down and he felt much better even on Monday.
Initially, he’d hoped to be able to play in the club’s second game of the season on Saturday after a day off. With the swelling, he’d had trouble gripping the ball to throw or gripping the bat to take swings.
The issue started with his second at-bat in Thursday’s opener.
“When I hit the ground ball to short, I just noticed my hand started kind of swelling,” Dozier said. “I didn’t think too much about it. But then as the game went on, it kept getting a little bigger and bigger. After my last AB, it really just blew up when I got to first. By the time I got to third I was telling Vance (Wilson) I don’t think I can throw.”
The Royals won two of the three games without Dozier in the lineup. Hanser Alberto stepped in for Dozier. The Royals have also played each game without starting shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who is on the injured list with an oblique strain. Nicky Lopez has stepped in for Mondesi.
“We have a good team here,” Dozier said. “We knew. We saw it in spring training. We’ve seen it so far. We know it’s early, but we’re just going to keep our confidence, try to get a win today.
“It was tough sitting, definitely to begin the year just watching. But they definitely played well. It was fun to watch.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Royals’ Hunter Dozier returns to the lineup after being sidelined by hand injury."
