Top 100 prospect Mitchell out 4-6 weeks with broken hamate bone

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Blake Mitchell, the Royals' top catching prospect, their No. 2 overall prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 48 overall prospect, will miss 4-6 weeks after breaking his right hamate bone, manager Matt Quatraro said Saturday.

Mitchell is scheduled for surgery on the bone this coming week. The 4-to-6-week estimate is a timeline for his return to play, not just recovery, Quatraro said, so Mitchell could be back behind the plate at a Royals’ affiliate by early April if everything goes well.

“It’s unfortunate,” Quatraro said. “But with most of these things, especially with something like this and that kind of timeline, it’s better that it happened now.”

Mitchell, 20, was in big league camp for the first time this spring as a non-roster invitee. He was the Royals’ first-round Draft selection in 2023 at No. 8 overall out of Sinton High School in Texas. He’s part of a deep catching corps in the Royals’ system that includes No. 5 prospect Carter Jensen, who will likely be in Double-A to begin the year; No. 10 prospect Ramon Ramirez, who should head to Single-A this season; and No. 25 prospect Hyungchan Um, who could also be in Single-A in 2025.

In his first full pro season in 2024, Mitchell slashed .232/.368/.424 with 18 home runs and 26 stolen bases, spending the majority of the season in Single-A Columbia with a late callup to High-A Quad Cities.

He’ll likely head back to High-A for a full season there once he’s recovered from his surgery.

Mitchell was already slightly delayed coming into camp because he got his tonsils removed at the end of January and had to take it easy for a couple of weeks. He was finally able to participate fully in practices, including catching bullpens and live BPs, but reported soreness in his wrist area. The Royals had it checked out and confirmed it was a broken hamate bone, which is located on the inside part of where the hand meets the wrist and serves as the attachment point for a number of muscles and ligaments of the hand and forearm.

Quatraro didn’t believe anything specific happened to fracture it; rather, these injuries usually happen over time and begin with soreness.

“I don’t think it was an acute thing,” Quatraro said. “But I don’t have all the details on that. I think it was something that happened over time.”