Giavotella continued his strong start to the season, going 2-for-4 on Monday.

The second baseman has carried his strong spring over into the season, hitting .300 thus far. However, although his average has been strong, Giavotella has no RBI, extra-base hits and stolen bases this season, while managing just one run scored.

Giavotella is out of the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

Giavotella will get his first day off this season in favor of Taylor Featherston at second base. The 27-year-old is batting .267/.313/.267 with one run scored through five contests thus far, but figures to see the bulk of the starts there this season.

Giavotella will likely begin the year as the Angels' starting second baseman after Josh Rutledge was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports.

Giavotella was the underdog to get the spot over Rutledge heading into camp, but the 24-year-old flourished this spring (.910 OPS) while Rutledge struggled (.449 OPS), forcing the team's hand. Giovetella could be an interesting grab off the wire in OBP leagues to begin the season, as he got on base at a .370 clip in the minor leagues, while stealing 93 bases in seven seasons. While the moderate power he showed in the minors may not translate well to the bigs, he could see an opportunity for a lot of runs scored in what figures to be a powerful lineup this season.

Giavotella (thumb) returned from a minor thumb issue Monday, and has gone 1-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored.

Giavotella underwent precautionary X-rays on his thumb last week that came back negative. It appears all is well, and he should be fine as he continues to battle for a bench spot with the Angels.

X-rays on Giavotella's left thumb were returned negative, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports.

Giavotella, who's 7-for-25 with three doubles, a triple and a homer so far this spring, stayed in Friday's game after hurting his thumb on a slide into third base, but the team opted to send him for an X-ray to be safe. With everything checking out OK, Giavotella should be able to return in short order and try to continue closing the gap in the second base competition. Josh Rutledge (hamstring) is expected to return to action Sunday.

Giavotella underwent precautionary X-rays on his left thumb Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Giavotella has done well to gain some ground on Josh Rutledge (hamstring) in the competition for the starting job at second base this spring, but his stock could take a hit if he needs to miss time, as Rutledge is slated to return Sunday. Giavotella, who has tallied a .957 OPS in 25 at-bats during Cactus League play stayed in the game after suffering the injury Friday, and told manager Mike Scioscia he could have played Saturday.

Giavotella is part of a four-man competition for the Angels' vacancies at second base and the utility infield spot, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Angels acquired Giavotella from Kansas City after the Royals designated him for assignment in December. At age-27, time is running out for Giavotella to stick as anything more than a Quad-A player.

Giavotella was traded to the Angels on Friday.

Giavotella was designated for assignment by the Royals on Thursday to make room for Kris Medlen on the 40-man roster. He will head to the Angels, where he should serve as organizational depth.

Giavotella has been designated for assignment to make room for Kris Medlen.

Giavotella could be called up sometime next season in the event of an Omar Infante or Mike Moustakas injury if he stays with the Royals, but he's essentially a Quadruple-A player at this point. A team desperate for infield depth could pick him up.

Giavotella was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Josh Vernier of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Giavotella will provide some added depth in the infield for the Royals, as he can play at both second and third base. At Triple-A Omaha, the 26-year-old hit .308/.373/.440 with seven home runs, 61 RBI and 66 runs to ago along with 20 stolen bases. He will slot in behind Mike Moustakas at third and Omar Infante at second with Jayson Nix also being an option at both bases.

Royals optioned INF Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals have called up catcher Francisco Pena as some insurance while Salvador Perez nurses a hand injury. Giavotella is hitting .176 (6-for-34) with one home run and five RBI at the major league level this year.

Johnny Giavotella went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run against the Mariners on Sunday.

Giavotella also walked and scored in the game. But the big hit came in the seventh inning, as Giavotella took reliever Danny Farquhar deep to give the Royals the lead. It was his first home run in 14 at-bats this season.

Royals recalled 2B Johnny Giavotella from Triple-A Omaha.

He'll give the Royals some second base depth while Omar Infante (back) is banged up. Giavotella's stay could be short, as Infante is not expected to need a trip to the DL.

Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports that the Royals plan to promote Johnny Giavotella prior to Friday's game.

He'll provide some infield depth while Omar Infante (back) is banged up. Infante is not expected to need a trip to the DL, so Giavotella's stay could be a short one.

Royals optioned 2B Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A Omaha.

It was a very brief stay with the big league club for Giavotella, as he was merely an insurance policy in case Omar Infante was forced to miss any time. He'll continue to function as organizational depth at Triple-A.

Royals recalled 2B Johnny Giavotella from Triple-A Omaha.

Giavotella will provide some help at second base while Omar Infante (jaw) recovers. He's a career .240/.278/.335 hitter over 424 plate appearances at the major league level.

Royals optioned 2B Johnny Giavotella to Triple-A Omaha.

Giavotella wasn't going to win a starting job with Omar Infante around, and the Royals decided they'd rather have him starting at Triple-A than as a bench option in the majors. He hit .341/.391/.585 with a home run in 21 games this spring.

Johnny Giavotella went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI against the Cubs on Saturday.

Giavotella hit his first spring homer off Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija in the third inning. The second baseman won't be the Royals' starter with Omar Infante in town, but Giavotella could win a bench job with a strong spring. He's batting .333 through 27 Cactus League at-bats.

Royals recalled INF Johnny Giavotella from Triple-A Omaha.

Giavotella batted only .206/.289/.265 over 10 contests in a truncated second base audition earlier this summer. Kansas City has fallen all over themselves trying to keep Giavotella out of the lineup, marching out the likes of Chris Getz, Emilio Bonifacio, Jamey Carroll, Elliot Johnson and Miguel Tejada at second. The 26-year-old Giavotella posted a .777 OPS at Triple-A in 2013, exactly 100 points less than he accrued last season at the same level.

Johnny Giavotella (hip) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.

Giavotella was optioned to Triple-A Omaha last week, but hasn't played since Tuesday due to a hip injury. The results of the MRI will determine whether or not he'll be placed on the disabled list.