A day after being held out of the Royals lineup with lower back tightness, Bobby Witt Jr. was placed on the injured list on Wednesday. INF Andrew Velazquez was selected from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move, and RHP Stephen Kolek was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Witt played the first four innings Monday and recorded two plate appearances, striking out looking in the first inning and working a walk in the third inning. He would have been due up first in the bottom of the fifth inning, but Nick Loftin jogged out to shortstop for the top of the frame instead.
Quatraro said it wasn’t a specific play that Witt felt the tightness, more just a progression throughout the early part of the game that necessitated his exit.
After missing Sunday’s game, Witt informed the Royals around midday Monday that he was feeling good enough to play and that the tightness he was experiencing is something that he’s played through before. Once he got to the field and received the all-clear from the medical staff, Witt was slotted back into the lineup in his usual spot, hitting second and playing shortstop, but the high intensity of a game caused spasms that he couldn’t play through.
