WASHINGTON – As if the Royals haven’t dealt with enough injuries lately, the status of their third baseman is uncertain after Maikel Garcia left Tuesday’s game with left hand soreness.
After two plate appearances in the first inning (a walk) and fourth inning (a double play groundout), Garcia was lifted for pinch-hitter Isaac Collins to lead off the sixth against the Nationals. Garcia stayed on the bench, holding his left hand.
Garcia grimaced like he was in pain on a couple of swings Tuesday, but it was really noticeable during his fourth inning at-bat, when he fouled off a 3-2 sinker from Nationals starter Foster Griffin and then dropped his bat. On the seventh pitch of that at-bat, Garcia grounded into a double play.
He still went out to the field in the fourth and fifth innings before Collins stepped in for him in the sixth.
Garcia hasn’t been playing at full strength since the end of May, when he suffered a low-grade right hamstring strain against the Rangers on May 30. He didn’t start for six games, although he came in off the bench for a few of those, and when he returned, the Royals knew they would have to manage his workload.
Now Garcia seems to be dealing with another injury, and the Royals are holding their breath to make sure it’s not too serious. They already have 10 players on the injured list currently and, in the past week, have lost two everyday position players for extended time: first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is on the 10-day IL with a right hamate fracture and will be out 4-6 weeks, while outfielder Kyle Isbel is on the 10-day IL with left plantar fasciitis and will be sidelined for the next several weeks.