KANSAS CITY – It wasn’t long after Kyle Isbel exited Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in the seventh inning that the Royals also pulled outfielder Kameron Misner from the Triple-A Omaha game in anticipation of needing their center-field depth.
By Wednesday afternoon, that need was confirmed. Isbel was placed on the 10-day injured list with left plantar fasciitis, and Misner was recalled from Triple-A prior to Kansas City's 6-4 loss in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium.
Isbel has been managing the foot injury for a couple of weeks, he said on Thursday, and it was aggravated on a hit as he rounded first base on Tuesday night. Isbel had to slide hard back into first base, but as he got up gingerly, it was actually his foot that was bothering him.
“We were hopeful that maybe he wakes up today and doesn’t feel the same, but he’s still in pain,” Quatraro said. “We were fairly certain that the move needed to be made.”
The Royals had Misner in Kansas City by Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the move, which they made shortly before their pregame work began for Wednesday’s game.
Isbel’s timeline to return is not yet known. On Thursday, he was diagnosed with a Grade 3 tear of a portion of his left plantar fascia, which is a severe tear and will take some time to heal before he gets back to baseball activity. The Royals are hoping to have a better understanding of a timeline for his return after Isbel is further evaluated in the coming days.
“It’s just getting the inflammation down, and then there’s not really a timetable on it,” Isbel said. “Just more symptom-based. … Just a lot of pressure in the bottom of my foot.”
Isbel is hitting .244 with a .652 OPS this season, but he has been as steady as ever in center field, recording 4 outs above average, which ranks in the 90th percentile of MLB players. His defense is hard to replace, but the Royals will have Lane Thomas, Tyler Tolbert and now Misner, who are able to play all three outfield spots.
Misner, 28, is slashing .276/.373/.547 in 59 Triple-A games this season and was just named International League Player of the Week after going 10-for-24 during the week of June 1-7. The left-handed batter recorded three doubles, five home runs, two stolen bases and four multihit games in the six-game series against Columbus (Guardians).
“We feel really good about him as an all-around player,” Quatraro said. “Really good defender, baserunner. Can steal a base. Hit with power. He’s coming up being in a good spot offensively with Player of the Week last week in the International League. We acquired him in the offseason because we thought he could really defend and offer a lot from the left side of the plate.”