Witt feeling better a day after hit-by-pitch on forearm
Anne Rogers
@anne__rogersSURPRISE, Ariz. -- Bobby Witt Jr. seemed to avoid the worst after being hit by a fastball during the Royals¡¯ 7-6 win over the Mariners on Wednesday afternoon.
The Royals' shortstop did not suffer a fracture, the team announced, with X-rays coming back negative. He¡¯s dealing with a left forearm contusion and will continue to be evaluated in the coming days.
By Thursday morning, Witt was feeling better, but his baseball activity was limited. He¡¯ll take it easy over the next few days and increase his workload only based on how he feels. If it doesn¡¯t continue to get better, he¡¯ll head for more imaging. Witt has a mark on the outside part of his forearm just below his elbow. There was no bruise -- he says he doesn¡¯t bruise much at all -- and he had his left arm wrapped on Thursday as he watched the Royals¡¯ morning workouts.
¡°It was scary in the moment,¡± Witt said. ¡°But any time that happens, it¡¯s always scary. You never know what the results are going to be. But if it was October or April or March 27, I¡¯d be good.¡±
In the top of the fifth inning Wednesday, Witt was hit by a 95.9 mph pitch from Mariners reliever Andr¨¦s Mu?oz and immediately fell to the ground in pain, holding his left arm.
The Royals' shortstop walked into the dugout shortly after with manager Matt Quatraro and a trainer. Quatraro said Witt was scheduled to come out of the game in the next inning anyway.
¡°He said initially that he just lost feeling in his fingers, but he said it was coming back,¡± Quatraro said on the field immediately after the Royals¡¯ game ended. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for what he was feeling other than that he said he couldn¡¯t feel his fingers, but there is a nerve in that area.¡±
After he was hit, Witt stayed in the dugout for another half-inning, holding his left arm, but looked to be trying to shake off the pain and keep moving around. He left the dugout and headed toward the visiting clubhouse with a trainer in the bottom of the fifth inning.
¡°There¡¯s a nerve there, and the feeling just went down,¡± Witt said. ¡°But everything¡¯s good. I¡¯ve been hit a lot, up and in, which is kind of annoying, but it¡¯s part of the game.¡±
Witt immediately left to get X-rays on the bone. About 20 minutes after the Royals¡¯ game ended, the scans came back negative for a fracture. It¡¯s safe to say relief spread through the organization, fanbase and industry that the Royals star had appeared to avoid the worst possible scenario.
While the Royals will continue to monitor the contusion, there¡¯s certainly optimism that Witt won¡¯t miss any time and he¡¯ll get his final tuneup games in Arizona before the Royals break camp and head to Kansas City for Opening Day on March 27.
¡°He would probably be next scheduled [in a Cactus League game] on Saturday,¡± Quatraro said Thursday morning. ¡°But we¡¯re not going to say yes or no to that yet. We¡¯ll see how today goes first.¡±
And Witt and the Royals will do everything they can to make sure he¡¯s in the lineup that day and nearly every day in 2025 as the 24-year-old looks to build upon his stellar ¡®24 season in which he finished runner-up in American League MVP voting.
¡°It was just a feeling that I never really felt before, so I didn¡¯t know what to expect,¡± Witt said. ¡°I¡¯m sore now. But like I said, I could play today. I just worked out and then just going to see how it goes. Not do anything too crazy and then just get back in a normal schedule.¡±
Royals outfielder Nelson Vel¨¢zquez also exited in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday with an apparent injury after going after a ball in right field. He misplayed a fly ball from Mariners third baseman Jorge Polanco and tried to redirect to catch it, but seemed to injure his leg in the process.
Quatraro said that Vel¨¢zquez exited with a leg cramp, but the outfielder was feeling better on Thursday and out on the field for the morning workouts.