The Kansas City Royals announced on Wednesday that Bobby Witt Jr. has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to lower back tightness. This marks the first time in his career that the shortstop has been sidelined with an injury requiring an IL stint. His placement on the injured list is retroactive to July 20.
Witt left Monday’s game against the San Francisco Giants after experiencing back spasms and has not played since. His absence comes at a critical time for the Royals, who currently hold a 42-60 record, placing them with the second-worst record in the American League and the third-worst in Major League Baseball overall.
Impact on the Royals and Witt’s Season
Witt has been a standout performer this season and was considered an American League MVP candidate. He leads all American League players with 4.9 Baseball Reference WAR and has accumulated 30 stolen bases. In 94 games, he has posted an .800 OPS. Additionally, he is slashing .279/.350/.450 with 13 home runs and has successfully stolen 30 bases in 35 attempts. Both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference estimate his wins above replacement at nearly five already this season.
Despite Witt’s strong individual performance, the Royals are 12 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox and 10 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot. The team was already anticipated to be sellers at the upcoming August 3 trade deadline, and Witt’s injury further solidifies that position. Any hopes for a turnaround before the deadline are likely diminished by his absence.
The Royals have not provided a specific timetable for Witt’s recovery. Even a brief absence could affect his MVP candidacy, despite him currently leading the American League in WAR. Other candidates for the award include Yordan Alvarez, Dillon Dingler, and Junior Caminero.
Roster Moves and Shortstop Coverage
In response to Witt’s injury, the Royals recalled utility infielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Omaha. Velazquez has not played in the majors since 2023. To create a spot on the 40-man roster for Velazquez, Kansas City transferred right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Kolek had recently been placed on the IL due to a flexor strain.
Velazquez, who is 32 years old, has played in 275 big league games and taken 624 turns at the plate, posting a .189/.244/.293 batting line. He is known for his strong infield defense and running ability. This season, he is hitting a combined .270/.333/.370 in 230 plate appearances across the Triple-A affiliates for Arizona and Kansas City.
With Witt sidelined, the shortstop position will be managed by a committee of players. This group is expected to include Velazquez, along with Tyler Tolbert, Nick Loftin, and Josh Rojas. Tolbert, a 28-year-old infielder, has an .806 OPS in 38 games this year. Loftin and Rojas have also had brief stints at shortstop for Kansas City, while Velazquez has accumulated 1500 major league innings at the position.
The move of Kolek to the 60-day IL was anticipated given the nature of his injury. Manager Matt Quatraro had previously mentioned that Kolek was undergoing imaging to determine the severity of the issue. While the team has not provided a formal update on Kolek, this roster move effectively ends his season. He is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-September, and flexor strains often require surgery with a longer recovery period. Kolek logged 54 innings with a 4.50 ERA in 10 starts for the Royals this season.
Source: nytimes.com