Royals' Jonathan India Receives Best-Case Update After Scary Hit-By-Pitch
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The Kansas City Royals can't afford to lose any key offensive contributors for even the shortest amount of time.
It was clear coming into the season that the Royals' lineup lacked depth, and that showed immediately in the team's series loss to the Cleveland Guardians to open the season. And matters were nearly made worse by an ugly hit-by-pitch in the last inning of Sunday's game.
Left fielder/third baseman and new leadoff hitter Jonathan India wore a 99-mile-per-hour fastball from Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase straight to the jaw. He left the game immediately, but he quickly got back to his feet and appeared not to be dazed by the blow.
That left the Royals hopeful that India could be back quickly after the brush with danger. And it turns out he'll be back as quickly as humanly possible.
Kansas City posted their starting lineup for Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers on social media, and India is back in the leadoff spot, playing third base.
Evidently, any reevaluation the Royals must have completed after Sunday's game went smoothly. The first pitch is in Milwaukee at 1 p.m. CST, so it's a quick turnaround on top of the travel day.
India went 3-for-11 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch in the opening series, good for a .429 on-base percentage. That's his calling card and the reason Kansas City brought him to town via trade: getting on base in front of superstar Bobby Witt Jr.
A hit-by-pitch like India's can have long-lasting effects, both physically and psychologically. But by all appearances, it seems the Royals dodged a bullet here.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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