Bobby Witt Jr.'s Grade 1 MCL Sprain Has Kansas City Holding Its Breath For The Season
Okay, Seattle fam, grab your coffee and pull up a chair because we need to talk about some serious baseball drama, even if it's not our boys in blue. Bobby Witt Jr., one of the game's brightest young stars, is officially out with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, and the Royals are scrambling. This isn't just a minor tweak, folks, this is their All-Star shortstop on the sidelines for a second straight day, and it's making waves across the league. He went down Thursday night against the Cardinals after an awkward slide fielding a ball, and an MRI confirmed the bad news. While they're trying to stay optimistic about the low severity, you just know every fan in Kansas City is holding their breath.
What's the Real Deal With Witt?
So, Witt Jr. wasn't in the lineup Sunday, and the Royals are in full-on evaluation mode. An injured list stint is definitely on the table, but they're taking it day by day, even through Monday as they head to Tropicana Field for a series against the Rays. Manager Matt Quatraro told reporters Sunday that Witt feels better and is moving around way better than he was two days ago. Quatraro said, "We’re going to reevaluate as the day goes on, get him a bunch of treatments and see how he’s feeling before we take off [for St. Petersburg]."
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The Royals actually have a little wiggle room here. They can backdate an IL stint up to three days, which means they've got about 24 hours to really see how he recovers before making a call. Nobody wants to lose their best player for the minimum 10 days, but they also can't risk turning a Grade 1 sprain into something season-ending. Quatraro was clear, saying, "It’s going to be what the conversations are with him and [team] Doc [Vincent] Key. It’s not a surgical thing. I know they can put a brace on it. It’s going to be a lot of get the swelling out of there and understand how he feels, and those conversations are going to have to be honest between all of us." This isn't connected to the right knee soreness he's been managing, which is at least one small piece of good news. He felt it when diving on both knees in the fourth inning on Thursday, then turning on his right knee to try and make a throw. He stayed in for the rest of the frame, but jogging off, he was visibly in pain, rubbing his knee and shaking his head. They pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the fourth, and he hasn't been available for comment since.
The Injury Bug is CRUSHING the Royals
It's not just Witt, either. The injury bug has completely infested the Royals' clubhouse. They did get infielder Maikel Garcia back in the lineup after three games out with left hand soreness, and he slid over to shortstop. That's a temporary fix, but Garcia's dealing with a lumbrical muscle strain that only hurts on awkward swings or foul tips. Not exactly ideal for a full season. But wait, there's more. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is on the 10-day IL with a right hamate bone fracture, out until late July. Outfielder Kyle Isbel is on the 10-day IL with left foot plantar fasciitis, which means several weeks sidelined. And the worst one: second baseman Jonathan India is out for the entire year after left labral repair surgery. Yikes!
The pitching staff isn't spared either. Seth Lugo returned Friday from a seven-day concussion IL stint, but Kris Bubic, a lefty, has been on the 15-day IL since May 18 with left elbow soreness. He had a setback a week ago but is now back on a throwing progression with a bullpen scheduled for Sunday. Relievers Carlos Estévez (right rotator cuff strain) and Nick Mears (right shoulder impingement) are also on the 15-day IL. And then there's Cole Ragans, another lefty starter, who's on the 60-day IL with a left elbow impingement. His MRI was inconclusive, he sought a second opinion, and he's still shut down with no timeline. This team was already underperforming, and now injuries are just piling up before the midway point of the season. Quatraro summed it up best: "The game’s going to start at the scheduled time. There’s going to be nine guys out there competing like crazy. It’s not fun for anybody who gets injured, and you feel badly for the guys that do. But there’s an opportunity for somebody else to go out there and compete. We’re going to try to win every game we go out there, regardless of who’s playing. They understand that.”
This is a brutal early season blow for the Royals. Every Mariners fan knows the pain of injuries derailing a promising start. We'll be keeping an eye on Witt Jr.'s status and hoping for a speedy return, both for him and for the good of baseball, while also hoping our boys in the Emerald City can stay healthy and make a real push this year!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.