Kyle Isbel took another step toward rejoining the Royals on Thursday, and he made it count at the plate.
The Kansas City center fielder, working through a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha, delivered a three-hit night against Salt Lake at the Ballpark at America First Square. Isbel also played five innings in center field as he continues to work back from plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
In four plate appearances, Isbel collected three hits, including two RBI doubles. That followed a quieter start to the assignment: over his first two games with Omaha, he went 1-for-5 with an RBI triple and a walk.
Isbel has been on the injured list since June 10, and there’s still no official date for his return. But if he keeps getting through games without any setbacks in the left foot, he could be activated by the end of July or in early August.
When he first landed on the IL in early June, Isbel said the recovery would come down to controlling the inflammation, not chasing a specific calendar date.
“It’s just getting the inflammation down, and then there’s not really a timetable on it,” Isbel said. “Just more symptom-based. … Just a lot of pressure in the bottom of my foot.”
Now that he’s back in game action, the focus is on avoiding any flare-up that would slow the process again.
When Isbel does return to Kansas City, the Royals will be hoping he can finish the season strong and get back to the version of his bat they saw early on. By the end of April, he was hitting .292/.354/.458 with three home runs and five steals. From May 1 through June 9, though, he slipped to a .525 OPS.
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