Royals activate Relaford

[WebHamster]

Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Kansas City Royals second baseman Desi Relaford was activated from the 15-day disabled list Thursday after missing action due to a hamstring injury.

Relaford came up limping as he raced to first base in his initial at-bat of the season. He was originally expected to miss just three-to-five days. However, since then, an MRI revealed more damage to his left hamstring.

In 141 games last season for Kansas City, Relaford batted .254 and established career-highs with 59 RBI, 70 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.

This was the first season since 1998, when he was the Phillies' shortstop, that Relaford was slated to be an everyday player.

In a related move, the Royals optioned shortstop Andres Blanco, who was the youngest player in the majors at 20.