Kansas City Royals: What we learned after Adalberto Mondesi didn’t record a hit
Adalberto Mondesi is struggling and if we didn’t know that before this weekend’, we know it now after he went 0-for-14 against the White Sox. Yikes.
Unfortunately, the Kansas City Royals can’t option Adalberto Mondesi to an alternate site since he is out of options. Mondesi is having a really difficult time at the plate this season and that was proven further when he didn’t record a single hit this weekend against the White Sox.
Mondesi is batting .190 and is clearly frustrated whenever he has the bat in his hands. Against the White Sox on Sunday, he went 0-for-4 and struck out once. He had a chance to make something happen in the ninth inning, but hit the ball right to a defender. He was also thrown out in the tenth inning when he attempted to steal third (he was on base due to the man on second base rule implemented in extra innings).
The Royals are in a difficult spot with Mondesi. He’s someone who they’re really banking on to be a big part of their rebuild, but he is struggling very badly right now and there’s not much the team can do, as they can’t option him and benching him would do more harm than good honestly.
Perhaps the Royals traded for Lucius Fox in hopes of lighting a fire under Mondesi, but if that was the intention, it didn’t work this weekend.
What else did we learn about the Kansas City Royals in this extra innings loss?
The Royals held their own against a playoff contending White Sox team throughout this series. They tied things up in the ninth inning on Friday, but lost in the bottom of the inning, won the game on Saturday in an initial blowout, and lost in extra innings on Sunday.
What the past week has truly shown Royals fans is that while we could slowly see the confidence building with this team, when push comes to shove, they’re not ready to contend. That was evident this weekend with the mistakes they made in tight situations. Teams who are ready to contend win those games, period.
But it’s okay that the Royals aren’t quite there yet because the fans knew this was the case. Things are starting to fall into place for them and that’s all that matters right now, especially in such a bizarre season such as the one we’re currently in.
Right now, however, fans have every right to be frustrated with Mondesi, who just isn’t figuring out his struggles at the plate. The Royals have Bobby Witt Jr. in their farm system, who is only 20 years old and will be a HUGE part of the team’s rebuild.
Initially, fans wondered what would happen with Mondesi when Witt was ready to come up, but now, the clock is ticking for Mondesi. If he wants to be a part of this rebuild, he’s going to have to do SOMETHING offensively.
The Kansas City Royals return home for a three-game series against the Indians, who they fared well against in the opening series of the season.
Thirty-four games down, 26 to go!