The Kansas City Royals activated Bobby Witt Jr. from the injured list ahead of tonight's opener against the Minnesota Twins.
Following an MLB trade deadline that saw the Kansas City Royals move Lane Thomas, Bailey Falter and Kris Bubic while holding onto veteran starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the team returns to action tonight as they host the AL Central rival Minnesota Twins.
The last time both teams faced off, the Royals dropped two out of three games as the Twins' Kody Clemens sealed their fate with a walk-off grand slam in the rubber matchup on July 30.
Now, Kansas City will have their sights set on vengeance as Bobby Witt Jr. makes his return to the lineup after exiting the team's July 20 matchup against the San Francisco Giants with low back tightness.
As the corresponding transactions, the Royals have recalled right-hander José Cuas from Triple-A Omaha while designating reliever Matt Strahm and infielder Andrew Velazquez for assignment.
Prior to landing on the injured list for the first time in his career, the 26-year-old Witt Jr. had batted .279 and recorded a .350 on-base percentage while also knocking in 39 RBI and launching 13 home runs.
The star shortstop would also have one of his best games in July during the team's 15-1 blowout win over the Philadelphia Phillies, going 2-for-4 at the plate and scoring two runs.
Cuas would also help in the victory, giving up just one hit and striking out three batters across two innings.
For the Storm Chasers, Cuas has compiled a 2.70 ERA and 1.33 WHIP while fanning 39 batters. His most recent major-league outing for Kansas City would be on July 9 against the New York Mets in which he allowed one hit while fanning two batters in a single inning of work.
As for Strahm, the 34-year-old has struggled on the mound this season, recording a 7.32 ERA and 1.49 WHIP despite notching 30 strikeouts in 35.2 innings pitched. He would have one of his worst outings in the Royals' matchup against the Baltimore Orioles on July 12, unraveling for four hits and five earned runs in 1/3 of an inning.
Velazquez has had a disappointing season as well, hitting .067 and recording a .134 OPS during limited action in the majors. As a result, the 32-year-old spent most of his time with Omaha, hitting .259 while recording 14 hits and nine RBI.
Witt Jr. will look to contribute once again tonight as he faces Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan who was hit hard during his last start on July 29, giving up eight hits and four earned runs through six innings.
