KANSAS CITY – Bobby Witt Jr. exited Thursday’s game against the Cardinals in the fourth inning with right knee discomfort, the Royals announced.
In the top of the fourth, Witt went down hard while fielding a single, sliding to his left on his knees in the grass. He made a stop on the ball but was unable to get a throw off as he rolled onto the grass in pain. He stayed in the game after head athletic trainer Kyle Turner and manager Matt Quatraro went out to check on him, but Witt was still grimacing and rubbing his knee even as the Royals jogged into the dugout after the third out.
Witt shook his head as he entered the dugout and went down into the tunnel with the training staff.
Due up first in the bottom of the fourth inning, it was not Witt but Tyler Tolbert who stepped to the plate. Witt had already homered and singled in his first two at-bats Thursday night.
Witt has been managing some knee soreness this month. He exited the Royals’ game on June 7 early with right knee soreness but was back in the lineup two days later after a team off-day. He’s played every game since. Witt has started all 76 games this season for the Royals, and all of them have been at shortstop.