India's season over after undergoing shoulder surgery

WEST SACRAMENTO – Jonathan India’s 2026 is over just a month into the season after the Royals second baseman underwent labral repair surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday.

India has been on the injured list with left shoulder subluxation since April 20. He received an injection around that date and went for a second opinion on the injury this week, leading to the surgery.

A free agent this offseason, India likely ends his Royals career with a .228/.322/.343 slash line and 11 home runs after the club acquired him ahead of the 2025 season in a trade that sent right-hander Brady Singer to the Reds.

“We knew he had been playing with an injured shoulder, but as he got a second opinion, he determined [surgery] was what needed to be done,” manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday afternoon. “Just had gotten to a point where it was really difficult for him to compete at the highest level, and for the future of his career, he needed to get this taken care of. I’m happy for him that he can. It’s a blow to us, but at the same time, he wasn’t himself out there.”

India has dealt with shoulder injuries throughout his career, including playing through subluxation last year. The Royals acquired India to be their leadoff hitter and bring needed on-base skills to the lineup in ’25, and while he did post a .323 on-base percentage last year, he struggled in many other areas. The Royals still believed his second season would be better, and they tendered him a contract, agreeing to an $8 million deal to avoid arbitration.

The team discussed non-tendering India, but the lack of other candidates on the free-agent market who would fit his skillset, along with their belief that he would improve, led to his return.

The Royals knew of his injury history, but the shoulder problem got more severe the more he played.

“Just from witnessing it, on the dives [at second base] over the last year, plus it got looser and looser and harder for it to be stable, so the pain got worse, for sure,” Quatraro said. “Anybody does anything with pain, it can be really debilitating. … He never wavered in his ability to work through it, but there were dives and jumps and slides and things that made it worse that were unavoidable.”

To fill in at second base, the Royals have the left-handed Michael Massey and the right-handed Nick Loftin, both of whom can move around the field as well. They probably won’t be a straight platoon – as evidenced by Loftin starting Tuesday against A’s right-hander Aaron Civale, allowing Massey to be available off the bench against some of the A’s righty relievers – but they’ll both get playing time at second and come off the bench for the Royals.

Massey started the season on the injured list with a calf strain but has a .708 OPS in 17 games since returning. Loftin has appeared in nine games in two separate stints with Kansas City so far this year and has an .800 OPS with seven RBIs.

“Those guys are good players,” Quatraro said. “They complement each other well. Loftin can move around the field, the left side of the infield and the outfield. Massey can go to the outfield if need be. But we feel really good about their defense, and we feel good about the way they’re swinging the bat.”