Royals Injury Updates: Lorenzo Cain Activated; Chris Getz To Take Concussion Test

June 11, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) at bat against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

After improvement in his strained oblique, Lorenzo Cain was activated from the disabled list. He’ been out for nearly a month after suffering the injury in batting practice August 9.

According to a report from Bob Dutton, Cain will be used mostly as a runner and on defense. Cain said that his timing at the plate was still coming back but that he was feeling more comfortable. He told Josh Vernier he was swinging at 100%, so he may just take a couple days off from seeing at bats and be full strength this weekend.

Cain’s return would be a nice boost for the Royals. If he gets back to full speed by the end of the month, Cain could end up giving the Royals the opportunity to use David Lough, Justin Maxwell, or Jarrod Dyson in a wide range of bench roles. They have a mix of left-handed and right-handed batters as well as some power and some speed in those options. Dyson, Lough, and Cain are also strong defensive complements to Alex Gordon.

In the big picture, though, it’s good just to get a year-long contributor back.

That’s the good news.

Aug 20, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Chris Getz (17) fields a grounder in the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The bad news is that Chris Getz is likely to be sidelined with a concussion soon. On Tuesday, he made a play to his left and attempted a jump throw while falling to the ground. Following that inning, Getz was taken out of the game with dizziness and an upset stomach. On the play, Getz’s head whipped against the ground and early indications are that he may have a concussion.

Getz said today that he woke up with a headache but that he was feeling better near game time. Still, as we’ve discussed here after Alex Gordon had a scare and Salvador Perez sustained a concussion, these are not the sort of injuries to just shake off. Getz suffered a concussion in 2010 as well, and often, that lowers the threshold for future concussions. On Friday, Getz was diving into second and a throw bounced and hit him on the side of the head, but it was reported that Getz hadn’t felt any symptoms after that incident.

If Getz does have a concussion, he’ll have to be cleared by MLB before returning to action. I’d imagine that Irving Falu would be called up to add some infield depth off the bench. Perhaps it’d be Christian Colon or Anthony Seratelli, but both would require a 40 man move and the Royals don’t appear to be interested in going that route.