DETROIT -- It has been a strange couple of years for Royals right fielder Alex Rios, who has dealt with everything from ankle injuries to thumb injuries to a broken hand to chickenpox.
But these days, Rios' troubles seem far behind him. He is smoking hot at the plate -- entering Friday's series opener against the Tigers with an eight-game hitting streak and batting .440 on the road trip (11-for-25) with four doubles and two homers.
Over a longer stretch, Rios batted .333 with a .519 slugging percentage over his previous 22 games.
For Rios, it's a relief to finally be contributing.