ARLINGTON -- In the middle of a seventh-inning rally that finally saw some hits fall their way Saturday afternoon, the Royals had to switch their celebration to concern when they watched Maikel Garcia pull up while running to third base and, once he got to the bag, crumple to the ground in clear pain.
Head athletic trainer Kyle Turner and manager Matt Quatraro immediately went to third to check on Garcia, who exited with a right hamstring strain.
By Sunday morning, Garcia was feeling a little better, and after Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Field, the Royals provided an update: They won’t put him on the injured list at this point.
“He’s feeling better,” Quatraro said. “We’re not going to IL him right now. We’re going to reevaluate him tomorrow, have him move around some, and see how he’s doing.”
Garcia had an MRI done Sunday morning, and he and the Royals were hopeful it was a low-grade strain, which would mean it heals faster than anything more severe. There’s likely still a chance he ends up on the IL if he doesn’t progress, but for now, it seems they’ve avoided that scenario.
“The way he feels today is very encouraging,” Quatraro said pregame Sunday.
The Royals flipped a three-run deficit into a one-run lead in the seventh inning, a rally started by Isaac Collins’ double and Nick Loftin’s pinch-hit single to turn the lineup over. Carter Jensen, Bobby Witt Jr. and Garcia all followed with RBI singles to tie the game.
With Witt on third base and Garcia on first, Vinnie Pasquantino roped a double into left field, and Witt scored to give the Royals a 4-3 lead. Garcia was attempting to go from first to third, but he pulled up about halfway between second and third base and limped the rest of the way.
“Right after I hit the bag, I felt a pop, so I just stopped running, just jumping to third base and trying to get there,” Garcia said Sunday. “I didn’t want to keep running and get it worse.”
Garcia has been a bright spot for the Royals’ offense with a .268/.325/.384 slash line, and as hitters continue to search for answers, they really can’t afford to lose Garcia for an extended period of time. Loftin was in the lineup Sunday playing third base, and he could take over playing time there while Garcia is sidelined. If it does turn into an IL stint, Kansas City also has several veteran infielders playing for Triple-A Omaha right now, like Kevin Newman, Josh Rojas and Abraham Toro.
“I feel bad because I left my team in the field,” Garcia said. “I’m the player who likes to play. I was getting my rhythm with hitting. It’s really hard to get off the field now for a couple of days, or I don’t know how many days, but just stay positive and work in the training room and try to get [back] earlier.”