Since joining the Kansas City Royals out of spring training in 2022, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has never been placed on the injured list — and the team is hoping to keep that streak alive.
The two-time All-Star sat out Friday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee. Despite the injury, the Royals are expressing cautious optimism that Witt won’t need his first-ever IL stint.
Witt originally hurt his knee Thursday night while ranging into the hole to backhand a sharply hit ground ball off the bat of the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker. He managed to stop the ball but couldn’t complete the throw after landing on his right knee while attempting to spin and force out a runner at second base.
The Royals pulled him from that game immediately. He then sat out Friday’s 6-5 victory over St. Louis — his first absence from the lineup since Sept. 8, 2025, and just the 23rd game he has missed since reaching the major leagues.
A scheduling quirk is giving Witt a bonus recovery day. Both Kansas City and St. Louis have Saturday off because Ecuador and Curacao are playing a night game at nearby Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. That extra day gives the team more time before determining Witt’s next steps.
“We’ll re-evaluate for a timeline on Sunday,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Friday. “We’re pretty optimistic. It’s not a surgical thing. I know they can put a brace on it. It will be a lot of, ‘Get the swelling out of there.’”
The 26-year-old has been one of baseball’s most durable players, averaging 156.5 games played per season across his four full MLB campaigns out of a possible 162.
Witt is also one of the game’s top performers this season, leading all American League players with a 4.3 Wins Above Replacement figure. He’s slashing .294/.368/.465 with 10 home runs and a major league-best 28 stolen bases through 76 games. Early All-Star voting has him well ahead of other AL shortstops, pointing toward a third straight Midsummer Classic appearance. He also owns two Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove to his credit.
In Witt’s absence Friday, Tyler Tolbert stepped in at shortstop and delivered a clean performance, including an RBI sacrifice fly from the ninth spot in the lineup. Tolbert also played a key role in what MLB named its defensive play of the day in the eighth inning, when second baseman Michael Massey dove to his backhand side to snag a hard grounder from Ivan Herrera and flipped it with his glove to Tolbert, who spun and fired to first baseman Jac Caglianone to complete the out.
Tolbert is expected to hold down the shortstop position for as long as needed, but Quatraro is hoping that’s a short window.
“(An IL stint) is always a possibility, but I wouldn’t say ‘strong,’” Quatraro said. “There’s no reason to handicap it.”
