<\/p>\n
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took a significant step as he attempts to recover from a right-knee injury.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On Monday, Witt underwent pregame work at Tropicana Field. He ran the bases, completed defensive drills and hit in the batting cage. At each turn, the Royals continued to evaluate his progress as he nurses a Grade 1 MCL strain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cFelt good,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. \u201cYou know, he\u2019s been getting accustomed to wearing a brace. So we are trying to get used to that a little bit, but was very encouraging what we saw today.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Entering Monday, Witt had missed the last two games and was not expected to play<\/a> in Monday\u2019s road game against the Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, the Royals didn\u2019t rule out a potential return this week. The club is hopeful Witt will play during the upcoming seven-game road trip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re definitely going to play it careful,\u201d Quatraro said. \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that in the next couple of days he\u2019s available.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last Thursday, Witt injured his knee<\/a> attempting to field a ground ball against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. He ranged to his right and extended his knee in an awkward position.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t able to complete the play. The training staff ran swiftly to check on Witt as he hobbled around the infield dirt. After a few moments, Witt finished the inning before being removed from the game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In recent days, the Royals have utilized infielders Maikel Garcia and Tyler Tolbert at the keystone position. Garcia shifted over from third base as Nick Loftin was inserted into the starting lineup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see how today goes and how tomorrow goes,\u201d Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. \u201cHopefully he is back sooner rather than later.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals need Witt\u2019s offensive production. He is hitting .294 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. Meanwhile, Witt owns a .833 OPS and a 4.4 WAR, per Baseball Reference<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnytime you got a player of that caliber that\u2019s going to be available, or you don\u2019t have to go 10 days without him, you know, that\u2019s a bonus,\u201d Picollo said. \u201cBut at the same time, if it ended up being an IL stint, we didn\u2019t feel like it was going to be more than 10 days.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For now, Witt continues to make progress. And the Royals say they\u2019ll ensure he is healthy before putting him back on the field.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust knowing Bobby and how he\u2019s going to take care of himself,\u201d Picollo said, \u201c(I have) a pretty good feeling that he\u2019s going to be back pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n