The Royals Put Michael A. Taylor in Harm’s Way and Are Paying the Price
In this story:
As of Wednesday morning — heading into the club's series finale against the Detroit Tigers — Kansas City Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor hasn't manned his usual spot in center field since Saturday. The Royals are citing right shoulder soreness as the reason why and have given him a day-to-day designation, which normally wouldn't be a major cause for concern.
A couple of other factors come into play that makes this a noteworthy development, though. Taylor threw 37 pitches in Saturday's lopsided defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, reaching as high as 94 mph on the radar gun and surpassing 90 mph another three times, reportedly leading to the aforementioned soreness. Trade potential is also impacted here, as the New York Yankees have tossed around the idea of making a move for Taylor ahead of next month's MLB trade deadline. This isn't a typical "Player X is a bit sore and needs a day or two of rest" situation.
The Royals put Taylor in harm's way, and now they're paying the price for it.
Jul 5, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor (2) is walked with the bases loaded scoring a run in the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Keep in mind that this is the same organization and coaching staff that let catcher Salvador Perez return early from a thumb injury that has since been aggravated and required surgery with an approximate eight-week rehabilitation window. When faced with a competitive-by-nature player who desperately wanted to get back on the field, Kansas City didn't step in and act in his best interest. Comparing the Taylor situation to that of Perez isn't an apples-to-apples comp, but the same principle applies here. Taylor was willing to pitch and was eager to "see what he could do before bringing the velocity and effort back down." Someone on the Royals should have stepped in.
That someone, naturally, is manager Mike Matheny. Taylor shouldn't have been pitching, let alone at maximum effort. Even in the event of a shortened bullpen, multiple other position players who aren't prime trade pieces could've filled that role. Allowing Taylor to step on the bump and throw — let alone at maximum effort — flirts with irresponsibility. One of Matheny's main speaking points throughout a troublesome 2022 campaign has been why his players need to find joy and fun moments despite the team's collective struggles. Position players pitching can fit under that classification, but not when someone gets hurt. There are other ways to have fun.
The best-case scenario for the Royals is that Taylor's injury is truly a day-to-day ailment and he returns in time to showcase his reliable arm in center field again for a handful of days, then gets traded near the deadline. The worst-case scenario, however, is that he isn't quite able to recover in time (or fully) or potential suitors are scared away by this recent development. At any rate, this was an unnecessary risk on Kansas City's end. On a team that is in dire need of trade deadline assistance for the long-term prospects of the organization, those simply can't be accepted.
Letting Perez come back early was one mistake. Letting Taylor pitch, in general, was another. Allowing him to do so while putting such strain on his arm counts, too. (He also came back out for a second inning of work.) Hindsight may be 20/20, so it's easy to look back and point out where miscues occurred, but that doesn't change the current reality. Taylor is battling an injury, albeit minor, that didn't need to happen in the first place.
