Surprise, Ariz. ? Kevin Appier was hit in his pitching shoulder with a line drive Saturday, cutting short his first outing in almost a year.

Appier, who went on the disabled list April 23 because of a right forearm injury, was hit by a line drive off the bat of Michael Young in the first inning of the Kansas City Royals’ 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.

“It was a splitter that came out flat,” Appier said. “You know, the type that says, ‘Kill me.’ It did.”

Appier stayed in the game and struck out Mark Teixeira to end the inning but didn’t take the mound again.

“I actually asked to go out for another inning, but they wouldn’t let me,” Appier said. “It didn’t hurt that bad, but I understand the decision. I’ll be back.”

Rangers second baseman Alfonso Soriano went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his spring debut. Soriano, who missed the final 16 games of 2004 because of a left hamstring tear, was the designated hitter Saturday. He only started running again two weeks before reporting.

Kansas City’s Calvin Pickering hit a grand slam in the sixth inning but was called out when he passed baserunner Justin Huber at first base.

Pickering was credited with a three-run, 385-foot single to left as the Royals took a 3-1 lead.

“That was the batter’s fault,” Royals’ manager Tony Pena said. “We want our runners to tag up in that situation and we want the batter to be watching the runner. It’s good these things happen down here.”

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Notes: Royals RHP Zack Greinke will make his first appearance of the spring today against Milwaukee’s Rick Helling. … Pedro Astacio pitched two scoreless innings as the Rangers won, 2-0, over the Royals in a Saturday “B” game.