| Wed Mar 31 2021 | 13:36 | Royals put SS Adalberto Mondesi on IL to begin season | ||||
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Oft-injured Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi will begin the season on the injured list with a right oblique strain, leaving Kansas City without one of its most exciting players when it opens the season against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Mondesi was put on the injured list Wednesday retroactive to the previous day. Nicky Lopez was recalled from the club's alternate training site in Arkansas after he was sent there following a poor spring training at the plate. Mondesi hit .256 with a league-leading 24 stolen bases in 59 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Lopez was competing for the second base job but is now likely to share shortstop duties with Hanser Alberto, who made the opening day roster after joining the Royals as a non-roster invitee for spring. Alberto and Whit Merrifield are expected to get the bulk of playing time at second, with Merrifield also spending time in the outfield. Right-hander Brad Keller will take the mound for his second opening day start for Kansas City. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | ||||||
| Mon Mar 22 2021 | 13:03 | Royals send 4 top prospects, including Witt, to minors camps | ||||
The Kansas City Royals reassigned four of their top prospects to their minor league camp Monday, including touted shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., whose brilliant spring training nearly caused the club to put him on the opening day roster. The Royals also sent outfielder Kyle Isbel and pitchers Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch to the minor league camp. The 20-year-old Witt is universally considered the Royals' top prospect, but he's blocked at his natural position by young shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. Witt has spent time at second base during spring training, where light-hitting defensive standout Nicky Lopez is the incumbent, but the Royals prefer he get more experience at that position by playing every day. That should happen once the minor league season begins. Witt has only played 37 professional games, all at the rookie level, and missed out on crucial experience when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of last year's minor league season. “We all know he’s earned the respect,” Royals general manager... [More] | ||||||