Omar Infante cleared for Opening Day despite battling elbow, shoulder problems all spring

Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star has the update …

Omar Infante still feels a pinch in his right elbow when he swings and throws, but he said he is good to go. The 25-man roster is set.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) March 30, 2014

Infante also dealt with some right shoulder inflammation early on in camp, but tests were taken on his right arm and came back negative so the Royals will march forward. The 32-year-old second baseman signed a four-year, $30.25 million free agent contract with Kansas City in December after batting .318/.345/.450 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI in 118 games last season for the Tigers. He is expected to bat second this year in the Royals’ lineup, behind Norichika Aoki and in front of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Alcides Escobar. It’s a pretty dangerous offense.

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been suspended and fined for his actions during Thursday’s doubleheader against the Rays. Boone was ejected from Game 1 after making contact with home plate umpire Brennan Miller and will not be available to manage the Yankees during their series opener against the Rockies on Friday.

The ejection was triggered by a missed strikeout call in the second inning of Game 1, prompting Boone to run out to home plate and deliver one of his lengthier and more bizarre rants of the season. Incensed by Miller’s shaky grasp of the strike zone, Boone repeatedly referred to his players as “f***ing savages” and told the umpire to “tighten this s**t up.”

Exactly when the illicit contact came into play remains unclear, but crew chief Gerry Davis later commented on the situation and said Boone had crossed some boundaries during his tirade. Per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch: “You’re not allowed to argue balls and strikes, so yeah. Yes he did [go too far]. That will all be in the report.”

In his own statements to the press, Boone defended his use of the word “savages,” claiming, “I always just want our guys all the time controlling the strike zone and making it hard on the pitchers. That’s something those guys take a lot of pride in as a lineup.” Several Yankees players, including Luke Voit and Aaron Judge, backed up the skipper’s decision to confront Miller as well, though Voit was the only player to explicitly support Boone’s use of the term.