Kansas City Royals Announce Maikel Garcia Update on Tuesday

It has been a disastrous season for the Kansas City Royals. Entering Tuesday, the club sits at 45-62 and in last place in the American League Central. For a team expected to compete for a playoff spot this year, nobody anticipated them being guaranteed sellers at this year's trade deadline. 

While underperformance across the roster has been the biggest reason for this disappointing season, injuries have also played a major role. Two players locked in for the future on the left side of the infield in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia are both currently unavailable.  

Witt suffered a lower back injury this July, marking his first-ever stint on the injured list. Garcia has not played in over a month, sidelined since June 23 with a left hand muscle strain. 

Fortunately, Garcia has made progress in his baseball activities, and the Royals provided an update on his recovery ahead of their upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins. The Royals announced that Garcia would officially begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Double-A. 

Given how much time Garcia has missed, it would not be surprising to see him spend a handful of games shaking off the rust before returning to the big leagues. Kansas City may also eventually transfer his rehab assignment to Triple-A.  

When he does return, it is also unclear exactly what position he will play. He could play shortstop with Witt sidelined or continue manning the hot corner, the position where he won his first Gold Glove Award last year. 

Garcia will be looking to rediscover the form that made him one of the more exciting young infielders in the American League a season ago when he gets back to the Royals. In addition to the Gold Glove, he earned his first All-Star selection last year, posting a .286 batting average, .351 on-base percentage and .800 OPS while launching 16 home runs.  

This year, all three offensive numbers have dropped across the board, and his power has nearly vanished entirely, with just three home runs in 69 games prior to the injury. Garcia has simply been a below-average hitter in 2026. 

The Royals extended Garcia this past offseason on a five-year deal guaranteeing $57.5 million with the expectation that he would continue to develop and improve. He has not shown that yet in 2026 but getting back to full health is the necessary first step toward recapturing the player he was last season.