Adalberto Mondesi Showed Flashes Following Return Despite Setback
Since being activated off the injured list following an oblique injury, Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi has been a jolt of energy that the Royals needed.
After missing the first 45 games of the season, Mondesi started in each of the last seven games before suffering a hamstring injury against the Pittsburg Pirates on May 31. The 25-year-old had given the Royals flashes of what made him one of the most exciting players in all of baseball at the tail end of the 2020 season.
Despite his recent setback, let's take a look at what Mondesi has done in each series since he's been activated from the injured list.
Tampa Bay Rays
In his first game back, Mondesi went 2-for-4 with two doubles and turned a double play to help end the Tampa Bay Rays 11-game winning streak and hand them their only loss in their last 17 games.
Though the Royals dropped the next two games of the series, Mondesi answered a few questions about how healthy he was in his return when he laid down a sacrifice bunt in extra innings and nearly beat out the throw from first during the game on May 26 in Tampa. Mondesi ended the series going 3-for-9 with two doubles and one sacrifice while striking out five times.
Minnesota Twins
During the series win against the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, Mondesi showed even more flashes of speed and power. He legged out a double and added an RBI single in a Royals victory on May 28 and punctuated his return with a base hit, a stolen base and laser two-run home run in the ninth inning of the game Saturday afternoon.
In all, Mondesi went 4-for-13 in Minnesota with a double, a home run and three RBIs. The shortstop also added a stolen base to his stat sheet but was caught stealing one other time. After this series, Mondesi was batting .318/.318/.591 with a .909 OPS and a .545 BAbip on his season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
His first game back at Kauffman Stadium this season coincided with the return of maximum capacity for the fans and he put on a show. He went 2-for-3 with a mammoth home run and an electric bat flip that gave the Royals the insurance they needed to close out the Pittsburgh Pirates and reach the .500 mark yet again.
Though Mondesi left the game early with a tweaked hamstring after charging in on a ground ball, there is optimism that the injury is nothing serious and the substitution was very precautionary.
Mondesi will hopefully contribute as the Royals continue their homestand by welcoming the Twins to Kauffman Stadium for a four-game series this weekend.
