Alex Rios resumed swinging the bat without discomfort in January following offseason surgery on his thumb, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports.

Rios resumed swinging the bat without discomfort in January following offseason surgery on his thumb, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports.

Analysis:

In addition to the thumb injury at the end of the year, an ankle injury may have limited his chances to steal bases, while toe and oblique injuries were also a factor for Rios last season. Moving into Kansas City, it's reasonable to think that his power rebound may be limited by his new home park, but a return to the 25-30 steal range is a possibility given the green-light tendencies of Royals manager Ned Yost.