The Kansas City Royals will take a cautious approach while third baseman Maikel Garcia deals with a right hamstring strain.
On Saturday, Garcia exited with the injury against the Texas Rangers. He felt a “pop” as he rounded second base in the seventh inning.
“Right after I hit the bag, I felt, like, the pop,” Garcia said. “So I just stopped running and just jumped into third base and tried to get there. And I didn’t want to still run and get it worse.”
The Royals believe Garcia sustained a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He will not go on the injured list and will be reevaluated Monday. Garcia is hitting .268 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 56 games.
“He’s feeling better,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said pregame. “We’re not going to IL him right now, we’re going to reevaluate him tomorrow. Have him move around some and see how he is doing.”
Garcia recently moved to the third spot in the batting order. He was slated to hit behind Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and provide more baserunners for the middle of the lineup.
Instead, Quatraro was left to reconfigure his lineup again. Royals utilityman Nick Loftin drew the start at third base Sunday.
“Nick’s defense has improved since the time we’ve got here,” Quatraro said before the game. “And the way he’s worked with (Royals infield coach) Jose (Alguacil) to play first, second, third at a high level, very confident.”
The Royals also have speedster Tyler Tolbert available off the bench. He can play both the infield and outfield as needed. The club could also utilize Isaac Collins if the situation calls for it.
So the Royals have options if Garcia is sidelined for a short duration. However, the club will need to make a roster move if he ends up on the injured list.
For now, Garcia is disappointed to miss playing time.
“I’m the player that likes to play and, you know, I was getting my rhythm hitting,” Garcia said. “So it’s really hard to get off the field now for a couple of days or I don’t know how many days. Just stay positive and work in the training room.”
Garcia was hoping for a minor strain. He said it felt like a similar injury from winter ball. Prior to Sunday’s game, Garcia was walking around without a noticeable limp or any additional limitations.
The Royals will need Garcia to be able to run and change directions at full speed. It’s why the incoming results are important.
“I think it was a scary thing, you know,” Quatraro said. “We talked about it (during Saturday’s) postgame. Whenever that grabs, it feels like you’ve been stabbed or shot and it takes a little while for it to release and calm down. So the treatments definitely helped. He came in feeling better today than he did yesterday.”
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