Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. came through against the Mets.
The Kansas City Royals are running out of ways to explain their early-season slide. Kansas City entered Tuesday tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in baseball at 8-15, and their eight-game losing streak only intensified the frustration surrounding a team expected to take a step forward in 2026 and make the MLB playoffs.
The offense has been terrible, the pitching has been inconsistent, and the fan base has made its displeasure known. After Monday’s loss, Bobby Witt Jr. did not shy away from addressing the reaction inside Kauffman Stadium.
"Yeah it sucks. But if you're the worst team in baseball, you might deserve to get booed every once in a while. It should motivate us to get better. Just motivate us to go out there and lay it all on the field each and every night,” Witt said (h/t Jaylon T. Thompson of the Kansas City Star).
Witt’s honesty reflected the reality of the moment. Kansas City has not played to its potential, and even its franchise superstar has yet to find his full rhythm. Witt entered Tuesday hitting .287 with a .370 on-base percentage, but his .726 OPS and zero home runs stand out for a player who has launched 20-plus homers in each of the past four seasons. His power drought is unusual, though it is difficult to pin the team’s struggles on him given his all-around impact.
On Tuesday, Witt came through with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to put Kansas City ahead 4-3. While it wasn't flashy, it was a key moment for he and the team, and one manager Matt Quatraro addressed postgame.
"Move the line,” Quatraro said via MLB.com. “Those guys that are throwing, they have elite stuff. To put those balls in play -- it sounds easy, right? Just get it in the air. It’s not that easy. To do that when you don’t feel great at the plate, that shows resolve as well.”
Witt remains the best defensive shortstop in baseball, a threat to steal 30-plus bases every year, and one of the most dynamic players in the sport. He has finished top-10 in AL MVP voting in each of the last three seasons and is already a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger. Even without the early power, he continues to influence games in multiple ways.
The bigger issue has been the lack of production around him. The Royals have received minimal support from the rest of the lineup, and the inconsistency has put added pressure on Witt to carry the offense. Kansas City’s pitching staff has also struggled to keep games close during the losing streak, creating a cycle the team has yet to break.
It is still early, and the Royals have time to recover, but the hole is getting deeper. Witt’s message was clear: the boos are not the problem, the performance is. And if Kansas City wants to climb out of this early-season slump, it will need its entire roster, not just its shortstop, to respond. Perhaps Tuesday's walk-off win was a start.