’He’s just got to follow it’: Kansas City Royals’ plan to help Mondesi stay healthy
The Kansas City Royals will use some form of load management in an effort to keep Adalberto Mondesi healthy in 2022, but they’ve also asked him to make some changes.
General manager JJ Picollo served as point person, conveying to Mondesi the importance of him having a set offseason plan to prepare for next season.
“I think we’ve got a good plan, he’s just got to follow it,” Picollo said. “He’s got to be committed to it. I think he’s just so freakishly talented that he’s never really had to train for anything, but now, hopefully, the light bulb is coming on that ‘I’ve got to be on the field otherwise I really hamstring or handicap our team.’”
After spending time back in the Dominican Republic, Mondesi will make Florida his base of operation this offseason. He and his agent already toured several potential training facilities in Florida.
The Royals hope to get Mondesi at least some period of time to train with special assignment hitting instructor Mike Tosar, who has worked with Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler in Miami for the past several offseasons.
The plan also calls for Mondesi to arrive in Arizona in late January/early February in advance of spring training to allow him to hit the ground running when full squad workouts begin. Last season, Mondesi had a delayed start to workouts because of a foot injury sustained while in the Dominican Republic.
“The message from our end was clear to his agent and then to Mondi that he has got to spend more time focused on getting ready for the season,” Picollo said. “The interesting thing with him is he’s a rare body type. We talked to our medical staff, our performance science people. He’s built like a sprinter. We’ve compared it to (Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver) Tyreek Hill.”
For Mondesi, his elite speed and explosiveness make him electrifying and susceptible to injury because of the way his muscles fire faster and react quicker than many athletes.
The difficult part with Mondesi has been myriad injuries and not one chronic issue that might be addressed specifically.
Instead, the idea will be to address how Mondesi trains his entire body. He hasn’t played in more than 102 games in any season in the majors. If the Royals can get him to play in 130 games in a season, they’d be pleased.
