Royals Superstar Leaves Game After Hit From 96-MPH Fastball; Injury Status Unknown
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Bobby Witt Jr. isn't just the Kansas City Royals' most indispensable player. There's a case to be made that he's the most indispensable player in all of Major League Baseball.
Witt meant everything to the Royals last season, putting up a 9-WAR campaign for a team that made it to the playoffs by one game in the standings. He played in 161 of the team's 162 games, and if he had missed any amount of time due to injury, it's hard to imagine they would have made it to October.
Therefore, an injury to Witt is perhaps the biggest fear any Royals fan could have. And on Wednesday, that fear may have come to pass.
In the fifth inning of the Royals' spring training game against the Seattle Mariners, Witt was hit by a 95.9-mile-per-hour fastball from closer Andres Muñoz. He exited the game immediately, and according to the team on social media, will undergo further evaluation.
The game wasn't televised, so the reaction to the injury has been muted to this point. We won't know the severity of the until the Royals run further tests, and until there's a more concrete update from Witt or manager Matt Quatraro, it's hard to know what level of panic to place on the situation.
The forearm is a tougher bone to break than any in the wrist or hand, so that could be a good sign, but it's not wise to estimate how long Witt might be out until the nature of the injury is better understood.
As for who the Royals' backup plan at shortstop might be? Maikel Garcia came up through the minor leagues at the position and could likely shift from third base to short.
One of the team's two second basemen might then take over at third base--perhaps Jonathan India, since that was his position when he was drafted. Michael Massey has one game of big-league experience at the hot corner compared to India's zero. Utility player Cavan Biggio has more experience, with 94 games at third.
For now, the Royals and their fans will wait with bated breath. Without Witt, this team looks a whole lot less scary to the rest of the American League.
UPDATE: Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Witt did not suffer any broken bones on the hit-by-pitch. Though his timeline for return remains unclear, Witt is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.
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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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