A gargantuan ice pack affixed to his right shoulder, Kyle Zimmer waited in front of his locker inside the Royals clubhouse on late Sunday afternoon.
It had been close to two hours since his first professional appearance since last May. The performance had toed the line between mediocre and nondescript. The moment provided lessons both positive and negative. Yet as Zimmer continued his return from season-ending surgery to address a nerve issue in his shoulder, he appeared to take the afternoon in stride.
“It was alright,” Zimmer said. “I wasn’t really going into it worried about results.