The Kansas City Royals announced Bobby Witt Jr. news after the two-time All-Star was removed from the lineup.
Royals Announce Bobby Witt Jr. News After Removal From Lineup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Kansas City Royals are 58–59 on the season, fighting to make back-to-back postseason trips for the first time in nearly a decade. The team enters Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Minnesota Twins four games behind the New York Yankees with two months left in the regular season.
Kansas City’s success revolves around their superstar shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr., who has been the team’s undisputed top performer since making his big-league debut in 2022.
The 25-year-old reached another level in 2024, earning his first All-Star selection, finishing second in AL MVP voting, and taking home both a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award.
Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. Update
Ahead of a crucial deciding game on Sunday against the Twins in a three-game set after the teams split the prior two games, an unexpected change was made to the lineup card.
Maikel Garcia was placed at shortstop and hitting second in the order in place of Witt. There was a lot of mystery around Witt's removal from the starting nine, as even the official MLB account on X promoted the game in a now-deleted post about Witt.
Amid this confusion, the Royals announced via manager Matt Quatraro that Witt woke up with back stiffness on Saturday and played through it, but the issue will hold him out of the starting lineup on Sunday.
"Bobby Witt Jr. is out of the #KCRoyals lineup today with a stiff back," Theodore Tollefson of Twins Daily wrote on X. "Manager Matt Quatraro said he woke up with it yesterday and was able to play through it. Witt is still available off the bench today if he feels well enough to hit."
Bobby Witt Jr. is out of the #KCRoyals lineup today with a stiff back.
— Theodore Tollefson (@TheodoreTollef1) August 10, 2025
Manager Matt Quatraro said he woke up with it yesterday and was able to play through it. Witt is still available off the bench today if he feels well enough to hit.
Witt’s Back Injury Comes at Critical Time in Royals’ Wild Card Chase
Witt has continued to produce in 2025 for the Royals, batting .284 with an .833 OPS, 65 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases. His 37 total doubles on the season lead all of MLB, and he was also selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game to represent the American League.
Witt leads the Royals in multiple offensive categories, including steals (30), OPS (.833), hits (130), and total bases (226). Kansas City’s offense manages just 3.7 runs per game, which ranks 28th in MLB, despite Witt’s efforts.
With Kansas City’s second-half push relying on Witt’s continued excellence, his absence from the lineup will make Sunday’s game more challenging against Minnesota as the team hopes the severity of his injury is not significant.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
