KANSAS CITY -- The Royals placed injured second baseman Mark Grudzielanek on the disabled list and recalled infielder Jason Smith from Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.

Grudzielanek's severely sprained right ankle is the most serious affliction in what has become a tough time for Kansas City to stay healthy. Grudzielanek sustained the injury Friday night when he collided with Ross Gload in the ninth inning while catching a fly out in right field.

He wasn't the only one battered around Friday. David DeJesus left the game after six innings, having injured himself while going back to first on a pickoff attempt. Manager Trey Hillman said DeJesus had a sore ankle and a sore back, and he might be able to play as a late-inning replacement in Saturday's game.

In addition to DeJesus and Grudzielanek, Jose Guillen has been battling an injury. He was scratched from Friday's game because of tightness in his left hip flexor. Guillen was in the lineup for Saturday's game, batting fourth.

"It's something everybody has to deal with," Hillman said about injuries. "We're dealing with it later rather than sooner."

Only Grudzielanek's injury is serious enough to warrant extended time off. Smith, called up in the wake of Grudzielanek's injury, was hitting .253 at Omaha with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs. The infielder played 40 games for the Royals last year, hitting .188.

He didn't get consistent at-bats during that time, and he probably won't this time around, either. Hillman said he'd use Smith where and when the infielder was needed, including throughout the infield and possibly the outfield. He wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday.

That said, Hillman is looking forward to adding more pop to the bench with Smith.

"Jason's got a history of slugging wherever he's been," Hillman said. "If he's not playing -- not in lineup -- it adds slug to the bench."