The Royals are likely to place Maikel Garcia on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (link via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). He was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after going for an MRI on Thursday.
Garcia made an early exit from today’s win over the Athletics. He was on second and pulled up as he rounded third base on a single to left field. The A’s easily threw him out, though it didn’t stop Kansas City from completing a four-game sweep. Nick Loftin moved in from right field to play third base, while John Rave came off the bench to finish the game in right.
It has been a frustrating year for Garcia, who has only made it into 73 games. He went down in late June with a muscle strain in his left hand. K.C. activated him on Monday only to lose him three days later to a new injury. He has a league average .269/.324/.385 slash across 309 plate appearances, a step back from his .800 OPS and 16-homer season in 2025. Garcia has continued to play excellent defense at third base and would’ve garnered serious consideration for a second straight Gold Glove had he stayed healthy.
Josh Rojas, who consented to an optional assignment when Garcia was reinstated, will probably be recalled from Triple-A Omaha. He and Loftin can split the third base reps for as long as Garcia is down.
