Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. exited early from Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals with discomfort in his right knee.
In the fourth inning, Witt made an athletic stop to his right, falling to his knees to snare a ground ball hit by Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker. With the ball in his glove, he appeared to extend his right knee and could not immediately regain his footing.
He grimaced in noticeable pain. Royals manager Matt Quatraro and members of the team’s training staff ran out to check on him as he hobbled around the infield dirt.
Witt appeared to massage the inside of his knee and then, after being examined, remained in the game for the third out of the inning.
As Witt ran off the field, however, it was clear that he was limping and still bothered by the injury. And then he didn’t come out to hit in the bottom half of the inning.
Witt was due up first in the batting order. Instead, Quatraro turned to Tyler Tolbert as a pinch-hitter.
Witt’s injury continues a particularly rough stretch for the Royals. The were already without offensive regulars Vinnie Pasquantino (right hand), Kyle Isbel (left foot) and Jonathan India (left shoulder) for the foreseeable future.
They are also missing starting pitchers Seth Lugo (concussion), Cole Ragans (left elbow) and Kris Bubic (left elbow). And the injuries extend to the bullpen, as well.
Witt is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. He hit his 10th home run of the season against the Cardinals on Thursday and leads the majors with 28 stolen bases.
This story will be updated.
The Kansas City Star
Jaylon Thompson covers the Royals for The Kansas City Star. He previously covered the 2021 World Series and the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jaylon is a proud alumnus of the University of Georgia.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kansascity.com ’
