KANSAS CITY -- Bobby Witt Jr. was not in the lineup on Friday with what the Royals categorized as a Grade 1 MCL sprain, a day after he exited Thursday night’s game against the Cardinals early with right knee discomfort when he slid awkwardly while fielding a ball.
An MRI exam revealed the sprain, but the low severity gave Witt and the Royals some optimism that the All-Star shortstop avoided the worst.
While an injured list stint is still a possibility, Kansas City will wait until Sunday -- after Saturday’s scheduled team off-day -- to see how Witt feels before making a decision about the timeline.
The Royals can backdate an IL stint up to three days from a player’s last game, so they have time to see how Witt recovers over the next 24-48 hours. They played shorthanded on Friday, and they’re still also trying to stay away from infielder Maikel Garcia as he deals with left hand soreness.
If playing one game shorthanded means the Royals can give Witt more time to recover and see how he feels, they’ll do it. Avoiding an IL stint means they would avoid the minimum 10 days without their best player. But they also don’t want to risk a long-term injury, so there are a lot of factors at play.
“It’s going to be what the conversations are with him and [team] Doc [Vincent] Key,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “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.”
Witt has been managing right knee soreness over the past few weeks, but this current injury isn’t connected, Quatraro said. Witt felt the tweak while diving on both knees during a play in the fourth inning on Thursday; when he went to turn on his right knee and try to make a throw, he felt the injury. Witt initially stayed in the game to finish the frame, but as he jogged off the field, he was clearly still in pain and rubbing the inside part of his knee. He shook his head as he went into the dugout, and the Royals pinch-hit for him to lead off the bottom of the fourth.
Witt was unavailable for comment Thursday and Friday.
The Royals are without several key players right now as injuries build up. Garcia has been out of the lineup since Wednesday with left hand soreness that he’s been managing for at least the last month. Imaging taken shows a strain of the lumbrical muscle, which is located in the hand and is responsible for fine motor control and dexterity. It’s been manageable because it only hurts when Garcia fouls a ball off without making direct contact or has an awkward swing.
The Royals are trying to get through Saturday’s off-day with Garcia as well before making the decision on whether he needs extended rest on the IL.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is on the 10-day IL right now with a right hamate bone fracture, and he’ll be sidelined until late July. Outfielder Kyle Isbel is on the 10-day IL with left foot plantar fasciitis, which will take several weeks to heal. Second baseman Jonathan India is out for the year after left labral repair surgery.
On the pitching side, the Royals did get a pitcher back on Friday as Seth Lugo came off the seven-day concussion IL to make his start against the Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. But they’re still without left-hander Kris Bubic, who has been on the 15-day IL since May 18 with left elbow soreness.
Bubic suffered a setback a week ago, but he’s been able to get back on a throwing progression and he has another 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 the club is still waiting for a definite timeline for lefty starter Cole Ragans, who is on the 60-day IL with a left elbow impingement. An MRI exam taken earlier this week was inconclusive, and he sought a second opinion over the past few days. Symptoms have continued enough that he’s still shut down from throwing.
This season has already been a challenge with the Royals’ underperformance; now injuries have taken root before the midway point of the season. With Witt and Garcia out Friday, the entire Opening Day infield is sidelined because of injuries.
“The game’s going to start at the scheduled time,” Quatraro said. “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.”