Royals’ Josh Staumont climbing his way back after major COVID-19 setback
For years, Josh Staumont has worked and pushed himself to the point of being able to do things on the pitcher’s mound that even the best of the best can’t do.
The Kansas City Royals’ 6-foot-3 right-handed reliever isn’t just gifted. Physically, he’s a finely tuned specimen who works diligently to keep his body in tune. The past two seasons, he’s gotten to reap the benefits of that work by competing on baseball’s biggest stage.
He’d started gaining momentum in the majors and appeared poised to build on that foundation this season.
Then COVID-19 happened.
During a video conference call with reporters on Monday, Staumont, 27, revealed he contracted the coronavirus before he was due to report to camp. His experience with the virus included having lost a ton of weight and strength, a fever of “103 plus,” and having slept roughly 20 hours per day at one point.
Now, he’s in the unenviable position of trying to regain his lost form while also preparing for the start of the regular season in a relatively short period of time.
“I’ll use myself as an example so I don’t put words in somebody else’s mouth,” Staumont said. “It’s very hard to understand where you are after COVID compared to prior to COVID. You lose a ton of muscle extremely quickly. The atrophy happens almost overnight. You lose the legs under you. You lose the stuff. We’re grinding for four months, and in a span of two weeks you lose all of it.”
Staumont threw as hard as anybody in baseball in 2020. His sinker averaged an MLB-best 99.3 mph, while his four-seam fastball blistered to home plate at an average clip of 98 mph (fourth-best in MLB).
In the pandemic-shortened 60-game season, he appeared in 26 games and registered a 2.45 ERA with 37 strikeouts, 16 walks and a 1.40 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings. Opponents batted .215 against him.
While the physical toll COVID took on his body was substantial — three steps into him carrying a suitcase upstairs necessitated a call for help — it’s not the biggest hurdle.
Staumont felt like he was hitting his stride in early February. He’d already progressed to throwing live bullpen sessions. He intended to hit the ground running when camp began in Arizona.
“It’s really tough looking back on that last live before I came here and seeing the difference,” Staumont said. “So I think the adjustment is understanding that I am where I am and I can’t go back and change anything. I can’t go back and not touch the grocery cart as I’m picking up groceries or something like that. The adjustment has really honestly been mental.”
Whereas Staumont can force himself to push through a long run and reach a desired mileage, he has had to come to grips with the fact that his respiratory system is simply still “trying to catch up.”
“Realistically, my health right now is completely normal,” Staumont said. “But if we’re comparing it to other incredible athletes on this field, it’s just not where it needs to be at this moment. But we’ve got two, three weeks left so I am extremely encouraged as to what we’ve gotten back so far.”
Staumont estimated he’s back to 90 percent health, but that last 10 percent is far from negligible in his mind.
“That’s where our job is done, doing stuff at 100 percent,” Staumont said.
Last week, Staumont pitched in a simulated game on the back fields of the Royals complex in Arizona.
On Sunday night, he pitched in his first Cactus League game. He pitched one scoreless inning and didn’t allow a hit or a walk. He struck out one.
“It was good to see him out there,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said following the game. “I thought the ball came out of his hand really well. We saw the breaking ball was sharp. He just looked like he was timed up. I was really happy with it. I thought he did a nice job.”
Staumont lauded the Royals training and strength and conditioning staff for the creativity and flexibility as they work to get him back up to his physical standard. They’ve eased him back in and incorporated pool workouts and devised new weightlifting programs to make sure he has been completely comfortable with the progression.
Staumont doesn’t feel like the setback will keep him from being ready on Opening Day, though he realizes he may not be at the top of his game by that time.
While he prides himself on being able to compete even when he’s not at his best, he’ll continue to struggle with the feeling of not being able to measure up to his own lofty ambitions.
“It’s not easy. It’s not fun,” Staumont said. “You get asked the same questions every single day, and I tell the same answer. At the end of the day, I’m running out of smiles. It’s like I am going to take 110 percent of my positivity and do everything at my full capacity regardless of the standard that I set for myself.
“The adjustment has really just been taking it in stride and kind of setting my premonitions and standards aside for the moment. When I feel like those are tangible and I can reach out and grab those, then the pedal is going to be down. We’re going to start going.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.