KC Royals’ Adalberto Mondesi headed to injured list after ‘structural damage’ found
The optimism was understandable. After all, the Kansas City Royals hoped, probably more for Adalberto Mondesi’s individual well-being than for the club itself, that his latest injury would prove minor enough that he’d avoid a stint on the injured list.
Unfortunately, their optimism wasn’t repaid. An MRI revealed on Wednesday that Mondesi did suffer structural damage to his left knee. On Thursday, Royals president of baseball operations Dayton Moore said the damage is a torn ACL. Mondesi was put on the IL before Thursday afternoon’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
They received the MRI results around the seventh or eighth inning of Wednesday afternoon’s 7-3 loss to the White Sox.
“We’re just trying to process it,” said Moore, who is in Chicago with the club along with general manager J.J. Picollo.
Mondesi, 26, has been injury prone for a large part of his professional career. A multi-talented athlete who brings a dynamic presence to the field, he’ll once again have his season interrupted by injury.
“Obviously, Mondi is really upset and disappointed and sad,” Moore said in the visiting manager’s office at Guaranteed Rate Field. “He’s hurting. He’s hurting because he wants to play. We’re hurting for him and with him. So we’re just trying to process it.”
The five-tool phenom appeared to bounce back extremely well from an entire season marred by injury in 2021, including one that forced him to begin the season in the IL.
Strains to both obliques as well as a left hamstring strain kept him out for the majority of last year. He played just 35 games last season, his fewest since appearing in 25 in 2017.
Mondesi, who had his first walk-off hit during the club’s season-opening homestand, had played in every game this season prior to Wednesday with the Royals’ early-season schedule having been more spread out than anticipated because of a combination of three scheduled off days as well as two weather postponements.
On Tuesday night in the series opener against the White Sox, Mondesi left the game in the sixth inning after pulling up awkwardly on the bases with was initially called “left knee discomfort.”
The Royals said he came out of the game due to “left knee discomfort.” Mondesi successfully bunted for a single in the inning. He immediately walked off the field after quickly scrambling back to first base to first base to avoid the last of several pick-off attempts.
Mondesi came off the field and went into the dugout where he was met by a member of the training staff. Edward Olivares entered the game as a pinch-runner.
Hoping for a different outcome
Mondesi has long been viewed as a potential star for the Royals. An excellent defensive shortstop with elite speed as well as a switch hitter with power, he’d drawn comparisons to New York Mets star Francisco Lindor, who has won multiple Gold Glove awards, Silver Sluggers and been selected as an All-Star four times.
The Royals thought so highly of his potential and ability in 2015 that he became the first player in major-league history to make his debut during the World Series.
Injuries have hampered Mondesi during his career. The most games he played in any season in the minors came in 2013 (125 games).
He played fewer than 100 games per season in the minors in 2015-17, though he played 115 combined between minors and majors in 2017. He played in 104 games between the majors and minors in 2018, and he has not surpassed that mark since.
He played in 59 of the 60 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and did not have an IL stint. But his injuries in 2021 sparked concerns about his health and durability once again.
The Royals had discussed the possibility of artificially limiting his workload, but they decided against it because of Mondesi’s value on the field every day.
A reconfigured infield
Nicky Lopez will assume the Royals’ shortstop duties in Mondesi’s absence, as he did last season.
Top prospect Bobby Witt Jr., drafted as a shortstop No. 2 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft, broke camp with the club and has started at third base. But the Royals said all spring they intended to let him focus on one position, that being third base, during his transition to the majors.
Last season, Lopez led the majors in outs above average (25) and runs prevented (19). He recorded the highest fielding percentage of any shortstop in the AL.
At the plate, Lopez became the first Royals left-handed batter to hit .300 since Eric Hosmer did so in 2017, as well as the first Royals shortstop to play at least 75% of his games at that position to bat .300.
“Nicky answered a lot of questions last year when we were forced to ask the question of: Can he make that transition easily over from second base,” Matheny said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Right away, it was a yes. All season long, it was a yes. Last night it was a yes when he came in and makes that bare-hand play.
“We’re fortunate. Versatility and athleticism is something that has always been part of the Kansas City Royals, and it plays out when you have something that happens on the field that takes somebody off.”
Whit Merrifield slots back into second base with Lopez at shortstop.
Merrifield had an outstanding defensive season last year at second base. He started 147 games at second base, the most at one position in a single season in his career, and won the Fielding Bible’s distinction as the best defensive second baseman in the majors and was a finalist for the AL Gold Glove.
Merrifield finished the season with the third-most defensive runs saved (14) of any player in the majors, and he also ranked fourth among all major-league second baseman in fielding percentage (.988).
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 6:05 PM.
