Bobby Witt Jr. missed his second straight game on Sunday.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. will miss his second straight game Sunday in a series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. During Thursday's win over St. Louis, Witt moved to his right to field a ground ball and fell hard on his right knee. He was removed from the game and later diagnosed with a Grade 1 right knee MCL sprain.
Ahead of Sunday's game, manager Matt Quatraro spoke with reporters and provided the latest update on Witt's condition.
"No Bobby Witt Jr. in today's lineup but manager Matt Quatraro says Witt is feeling better and walking around better today. He'll be getting treatment today and will be reevaluated ahead of tomorrow's game," reported Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
The good news here as well is that Witt has not been placed on the 10-day injured list, and that still does not appear to be the plan. He will likely do his best to get back on the field soon, but given where the Royals are right now, it really is not in their best interest to push him.
Sitting 13 games under .500 entering Sunday, there is only so much Witt can do by himself, and this team will likely have to sell off pieces at the trade deadline regardless.
This injury interrupts what has been another splendid season from Witt. Now in year five with Kansas City, he has continued to set the standard, not just at shortstop but among all MLB players. He is one of the most impactful all-around talents in the game.
He remains an excellent defender this year, fitting given he is a two-time Gold Glove and Platinum Glove award winner. According to Statcast's Baseball Savant, he has posted a fielding run value of 12, along with 16 outs above average which leads all shortstops.
He is also one of the best base stealers in MLB, leading all players with 28 stolen bases. He has been caught just four times. And he is one of the best offensive players too, posting a .294 batting average, .368 on-base percentage, .833 OPS, 10 home runs and 32 RBIs over 76 games. Nobody does it quite like him.
In Witt's absence, Maikel Garcia has shifted over to shortstop while Nick Loftin has started at the hot corner. Witt will look to continue recovering and potentially return Monday for a series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.
