The Royals placed Garcia on the 10-day injured list after he had played through left hand soreness.
After dealing with left hand soreness for an extended period, the Kansas City Royals have placed infielder Maikel Garcia on the 10-day injured list with a left hand muscle strain. They recalled infielder Josh Rojas to take his spot on the active roster.
Last Wednesday after being pulled from a game, Garcia said that he had been dealing with hand soreness since the Royals played the St. Louis Cardinals on the road, which was in the middle point of May. He also noted that it flares up on him only when he hits foul balls, not when he makes direct contact or hits in the batting cage.
Garcia attempted to play through the soreness for a significant amount of time, but he has seemingly reached a point where he is no longer able to. The soreness had escalated over the last week and prevented Garcia from playing comfortably.
Since being removed from that game on June 16, Garcia has taken just 11 plate appearances and recorded just one hit. The Royals had been nursing his injury over the last week with hopes of avoiding a stint on the injured list.
The 26-year-old has put together a solid campaign this season, but not to the extent of his breakout year in 2025. Garcia earned himself his first All-Star nod and Gold Glove, while earning a five-year, $57.5 million extension in the offseason.
However, Garcia’s combination of getting on base, hitting for power and baserunning has not been as efficient as it was last season. Despite lacking in the power category, he had gotten off to a strong start at the plate in hitting .285 through mid-May. But since then, he has hit .234, a noticeable dip for a high-contact hitter.
With Garcia’s injury, the Royals are now without their entire Opening Day infield of Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India and Bobby Witt Jr.
At the hot corner, Rojas and infielder Nick Loftin are likely to take over the duties at the position. Loftin has already played 147 innings at third base this season and has provided solid defense. Rojas has plenty of experience at the hot corner, but has not been productive at the plate over the last few years.
Rojas will join Kansas City for his second stint with the team after making a brief appearance earlier this month. His contract was selected on June 4 and he appeared in just two games before being sent back down to Triple-A Omaha.
