Royals signed C Jason Kendall to a minor leaugue contract; assigned him to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Kendall hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2010 and just turned 38 years old. He seems doubtful to climb all the way up to Kansas City this summer.

Royals activated C Jason Kendall from the 60-day disabled list.

Kendall missed all of this season following major surgery on his right shoulder and ultimately had to undergo another operation. The 37-year-old's career is likely over.

Jason Kendall has been diagnosed with two tears in his rotator cuff and will undergo surgery.

"That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year," Royals manager Ned Yost said Thursday. "I think it's more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder." The 37-year-old Kendall seems likely to hang up his cleats for good.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) is headed to the Royals' spring training facility in Arizona to begin a rehab assignment.

There's still no timetable for his return, but if he continues to progress, he seems likely to be ready sometime around the All-Star break. Kendall is recovering from major surgery on his right shoulder.

For the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery last September, Jason Kendall took batting practice on Monday.

If he continues to progress, Kendall could begin a rehab assignment by the end of June, though there is no timetable for his return. The Royals are teetering on respectability this season and could use a healthy Kendall in their lineup.

Royals transferred C Jason Kendall from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

Kendall underwent surgery on his shoulder in early April and is not expected to return to action for another month. The move clears a roster spot for Eric Hosmer.

There's no timetable for Jason Kendall's return from shoulder surgery.

And it doesn't appear as though there's any sense of urgency following the recent acquisition of Matt Treanor. "He's just gaining strength in that shoulder," said Royals manager Ned Yost. "He was really pushing early, but I think now that we've got Treanor, he feels better about where we're at. So he's just now doing it right and getting it strong." Kendall will stay behind in Kansas City this weekend to work with physical therapist Jeff Blum and will likely go out a minor league rehab assignment once he's ready for game action. He's unlikely to return prior to late-April or early-May.

Royals placed C Jason Kendall on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Kendall is still recovering from September surgery on his right shoulder and probably won't be ready for regular action until late April. Matt Treanor and Brayan Pena will serve as Kansas City's season-opening catching duo.

Jason Kendall has experienced some soreness in his surgically-repaired shoulder.

The Royals are calling it a minor setback, but they'll delay his return at least a week. "It's just a little sore," Kendall said. "Nothing major - and it's been better the last two days. But it's pushed everything back about a week. It was pretty much my decision. I'm not going to go into a game situation until I'm 100 percent with my body. I could push it, and I am pushing it, but I don't want to have a major setback." Kendall will return to Surprise, Arizona about a week after the season starts to play in some extended spring training games. The timetable for his season debut has been pushed back to late April, at the earliest.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) is expected to open the year on the disabled list but should be ready for game action by mid-April.

Kendall's recovery from shoulder surgery has gone exceedingly well to the point that it was thought that he might be ready for Opening Day, but the Royals will give him a few extra weeks. Brayan Pe¤a and Lucas May will handle the catching duties while he works his way back.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) caught four innings and had three at-bats in a minor league intersquad game Monday.

"[It went] a lot better than two days ago," said Kendall, who caught his first intersquad game Saturday. "I felt real good today. Today is a lot bigger step for me today than the other day. I was a little bit sore waking up this morning, and I was really curious to see how it was going to go." It was viewed as a longshot initially, but the 36-year-old backstop hasn't ruled out being ready for Opening Day.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) will participate in an intrasquad game Saturday.

It's the first time he's tested his surgically-repaired shoulder in game action. If all goes well, he'll try to play in a real game sometime next week. Kendall is still likely to begin the year on the DL, but his recovery has gone way better than expected.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) is hoping to begin making throws to second base soon.

"I'm playing a lot of long toss, and that's going to happen very soon," he said Wednesday. "It's coming along very good." The veteran Kendall is aiming to play in his first spring game around March 18. He has been slowed by his ongoing recovery from September shoulder surgery.

Jason Kendall (shoulder surgery) has been cleared for workouts and is targeting March 18 for his first spring game.

Royals manager Ned Yost was shocked how good Kendall looked in batting practice Friday. "I couldn't believe how he looked in BP," Yost said. "I didn't know what to expect, but I watched five swings, and that's all I needed to see. I didn't know if he'd be out there playing pepper, but he was hitting line drives everywhere. Granted, it was coaches' BP, but you could not tell this kid had been through surgery." Kendall is still hoping to be ready to play on Opening Day.

Jason Kendall is months ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery.

He wasn't supposed to be throwing until June but has already been cleared to do so. "I'll totally be smart about it," Kendall said. "But if I can go, I'm going to go. If I can be ready for Opening Day, I'm going to play. Is that going to happen? I don't know. But in my mind, I'll be ready. I'm not going to be dumb about it." Manager Ned Yost remains doubtful that Kendall will be ready that soon, but, according to the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton, is "no longer dismissive" of the idea.

Jason Kendall has been cleared for light throwing and swinging following an examination of his surgically-repaired shoulder on Tuesday

Kendall underwent major surgery on his right shoulder last September. The veteran backstop has predicted that he could be ready for Opening Day, but the Royals haven't provided any recent timetables. Brayan Pena, Lucas May and Manny Pina will get most of the looks behind the plate during spring training.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) hopes to be cleared to throw on Wednesday.

Kendall reported to camp on Monday and then left for Los Angeles in order to have his surgically-repaired right rotator cuff examined. The veteran backstop is unlikely to start the season on time, so look for Brayan Pena and Lucas May to make the Opening Day roster.

Jason Kendall (shoulder) expects to begin throwing in February.

Kendall underwent major surgery on his right shoulder in September and is likely to miss the first month or two of the 2011 regular season. But early projections had him out until June, and he's doing far better than that. "I'm ahead of the game," Kendall said, before wildly predicting that he might be ready for Opening Day. We're betting he takes the field around mid-May.

Jason Kendall (shoulder surgery) isn't expected back until May, at the earliest.

Manager Ned Yost previously described Kendall's recovery as "month-to-month" but expressed hope that he could be ready for opening day. But, doctors gave him an 8-12 months timetable following the early September surgery, so May might even be an optimistic projection. Brayan Pena and Lucas May could wind up being the Royals' catchers for most of the 2011 season, though it's possible the team could bring in a veteran if Kendall's recovery stalls.

Royals activated C Jason Kendall from the 60-day disabled list.

Kendall inked a two-year contract with the Royals last winter, but he underwent extensive surgery on his right shoulder in September and probably won't be ready for the start of spring training in 2011.