Kansas City Royals’ Mondesi out of lineup but encouraged day after injuring hamstring
Adalberto Mondesi will not be in the starting lineup Tuesday evening, but when the Kansas City Royals’ budding-star shortstop felt better in the morning than he did after leaving Monday night’s game, KC manager Mike Matheny took that as an encouraging sign.
Mondesi left Monday’s win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Kauffman Stadium with a left hamstring injury in the eighth inning after he charged hard on an infield chopper and made an outstanding play to get the batter running to first base.
Mondesi felt the pull in his hamstring while charging in and again while jogging off the field, Matheny said.
But Mondesi woke up feeling better Tuesday morning, and Matheny described that as “a great bit of news to get first thing in the morning.” The manager also characterized the reaction of the Royals’ medical and training staff as “optimistic.”
He’s not in Tuesday’s starting lineup, but Matheny is “not ruling anything out” with Mondesi. That’s likely at least somewhat a measure of gamesmanship on Matheny’s part, wanting to keep the Pirates from knowing definitively whether Mondesi is available.
Outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler isn’t in the starting lineup, either, but he’s available to be used off the bench in Tuesday night’s game in KC.
Matheny didn’t provide a timetable for when Mondesi might return to the lineup. The Royals have a day off Wednesday followed by a four-game home series against the Minnesota Twins.
A 6-foot, 200-pound switch-hitting speedster, Mondesi returned from the injured list last week on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays after having missed nearly the first two months of the season with an oblique strain. He’d played in all seven games since the club activated him.
In his first seven games since returning from the injured list, Mondesi went 9 for 25 (.360) with four multi-hit games and five extra-base hits. His homer on Monday gave him home runs in two of his last three games.
“He can just do so much,” Royals infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier said after Monday night’s game. “If he’s not swinging the bat, he’s going to find a way to get on. He’s going to bunt his way on and then steal two bags, or he’s going to play amazing defense. He can do it all.
“And when he’s swinging the bat like he is now, it’s the spark — for sure. Ever since he’s gotten back, we can feel it. He’s just playing really good all the way around, and we hope he’s alright.”
