The Kansas City Royals can exhale.
Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. avoided a broken bone after taking a 96 mph fastball to the forearm in a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. His timetable reportedly remains unclear, but he is expected to avoid a long absence.
The Royals announced the injury as a left forearm contusion and that Witt would be reevaluated in the morning, which Witt quote tweeted with an indication he’s OK.
The pitch came against Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, with Witt saying he initially lost feeling in his fingers.
Any significant regular season time lost for Witt would be a problem for the Royals. He was among the most valuable players in baseball last season, winning his first batting title while hitting .332/.389/.588 overall and providing strong defense at shortstop. He posted his second straight 30-30 season, making him the first shortstop in MLB history to post multiple such campaigns.
That campaign earned Witt a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove and second place in the AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge. At only 24 years old, Witt is one of the most exciting players in baseball.
The Royals are scheduled to open their season on March 27 against the Cleveland Guardians, giving Witt approximately two weeks to recover before he starts missing games that count.
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