KANSAS CITY -- Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia exited the Royals’ 8-6 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium in the sixth inning due to right elbow soreness and was out of the lineup Friday night against the Angels as a precaution.
But Garcia said he’d be available off the bench with the hope of playing on Saturday, because he was already feeling better Friday afternoon as he prepared to go through pregame work.
“It was like a cramp after I threw the ball and swung the bat,” Garcia said of what he felt on Wednesday. “I was playing careful that day. After my third at-bat, I didn’t want to have another at-bat playing careful. Got it checked out and did my treatment, and feel better. For this game, I’ll be able to come off the bench and play tomorrow hopefully.”
The Royals wanted to give Garcia another day off Friday to make sure all the symptoms had subsided by the time he retakes the field. Garcia said he feels the discomfort more when he throws the ball than during swings.
“He’s improved from Wednesday,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s just, he’s got a little discomfort in his elbow and a little bit of inflammation that we need to get out of there so that he can feel comfortable getting back on the field.”
Nick Loftin entered for Garcia in the sixth inning on Wednesday and was his replacement Friday night, batting leadoff and playing third.
Garcia went 0-for-3 on Wednesday, but is batting .265 with a .724 OPS through 25 games. He had been hitting well previously in this series, notching three hits on Monday followed by an RBI single with two runs scored in Tuesday’s victory.
After the 2023 season, Garcia had a procedure done to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, when he last felt soreness like this, but he hasn’t missed any time since and hopefully won’t now despite dealing with the soreness. The Royals need him playing every day like he has for them -- and producing like he has been throughout his All-Star 2025 season and the beginning part of ‘26.