Chicago — Kyle Isble It didn’t take long to announce his return to the Royal Family on Thursday afternoon, as he threw a two-stage single in the 10th inning and sent Kansas City to the team 5-2 series final victory Click White Sox in the Guaranteed Rate field.
And it’s safe to say the royal family needed that win. Not just because of the beginning Brad Keeler delivered, facing one on the minimum in seven rounds, limiting Chicago in one round with three strokes, but also due to the pre-game news, when Adalberto Mondesi He was put on the injured list for 10 days with a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament, which put the 26-year-old out for an indefinite, but significant period of time.
“Obviously the news shook the whole club,” said Keeler, who now has a 2.19 ERA in four games. “It’s tough or rough. He’s a good player, and it seems that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players in the league.
“For us to go out there and win, you see him in the club smiling. … It lifts morale.”
Mondesi tore his ligament on Tuesday night when he broke from first base in an attempt to steal. He stopped and felt a pop, Dayton Moore, head of baseball operations, said, and when Mondesi got back into the bag to try and break in a few moments later, he stood up and walked out of the field into the tunnel.
Members of the royal family had hoped they could avoid the worst after initial post-match scans, but an MRI removed from the site on Wednesday revealed structural damage.
“Your heart is sinking,” Moore said. He still suffers from these kinds of setbacks. He’s worked so hard this season – of course we haven’t had the chance to connect the way we always do [because of the lockout], but by all accounts, he did everything he was asked to do. And she came to spring training looking good and feeling good. It is unfortunate.”
Mondesi will return to Kansas City with the team Thursday night and will be evaluated over the weekend by the team’s physicians before determining the next step and timeline for recovery. Surgery is possible but no decision has yet been made, and ACL tears usually take about a year to heal, although the injury can be different for everyone.
While members of the royal family waited to hear the timeline for Mondesi’s recovery, the scene changed in his absence.
Nicky Lopez will slip into a short spot after starting the year at second base, while Whit Merrifield will move from right field to second base, where he was a Gold Glove finalist last season.
Lopez showed on Thursday that he will pick up where he left off last season, making some plays that could appear in his highlight reel. He helped transform quick double play in the fourth inning, when he held Gavin Sheets sharply against baseman Carlos Santana. Santana went up first and threw second, as Lopez sent the single hopper through Andrew Vaughn’s legs and applied the mark.
In the meantime, Bobby Waite Jr. will remain at third base. MLB’s #1 ranked probability He’s a natural short stopping point and can play a long-term position, but he’s their best choice in the hot corner defensively, over Hunter Dozier and Emmanuel Rivera.
Members of the royal family quickly changed the field when Mondesi was knocked out of Tuesday’s game. What won’t happen so quickly is recovering from another injury, something Mondesi has had to deal with a lot during his seven-year career.
“We talked a lot yesterday, last night, this morning,” said manager Mike Matheny. “Just keep going [encourage] To him, keep loving him and let him know that this is a tough hand and not what any of us want to see has to go through again.
“It keeps happening some things that are hard to explain.”
The 26-year-old has been limited for several years, with his only full season coming when he played 59 out of 60 games in the shortened season for the pandemic. Most games played in a regular season was 102 in 2019.
Mondesi missed a month in 18 with right shoulder impingement syndrome, a month in 19 with a hip strain and about two months later that year with a left shoulder dislocation, which he underwent surgery at the time.
Last season, Mondesi missed all but 35 of the games due to two different oblique strains and a hamstring injury.
The club had been hoping 2022 would be different for the hitter who makes striking appearances easy with a unique blend of strength, speed and defence.
The royals considered creating a pregnancy management plan for Mondesi, believing it could help him stay healthy. But the nature of his injuries, and the unpredictability of when and what he’ll hit, prompted the Royals to backtrack on that plan in spring training.
In addition, the scheduled rest days and rainfall during the first month provided enough time for Mondesi to feel comfortable and healthy.
“You look at the nature of what he was doing, we weren’t in the preliminary match [because of the cold weather]Moore said. “You can never guess it. You can’t guess it again. He was trying to manage some things differently.”
It’s reasonable to wonder about the future of Mondesi, who is making $3 million this season. It’s been seven years since his debut during the 2015 World Championships, but the club has seen only flashes of his impressive ascent.
However, Mondesi is only 26 years old and still in control of the club until 2023. Members of the royal family are taking an interest in his passion and desire to play, making the seemingly endless injuries all the more painful.
Questions about how the royals will face Mondesi’s future. For now, the team has thrown its full support behind him.
“Our locker room took a hit,” Lopez said. “…I can speak for a lot of people on the team. Our heart goes out to him.”
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