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KC Royals: 2021 season can still be successful despite Adalberto Mondesi injury

By Leigh Oleszczak

SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 25: Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB spring training baseball game at Surprise Stadium on March 25, 2021 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 25: Adalberto Mondesi #27 of the Kansas City Royals is congratulated as he returns to the dugout after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB spring training baseball game at Surprise Stadium on March 25, 2021 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
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The news of Adalberto Mondesi landing on the IL to start the 2021 season is devastating for KC Royals fans, but this doesn’t mean the season can’t still be a success. 

It’s always something with the Kansas City Royals right before Opening Day, isn’t it? This time around, it was the news of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi being placed on the Injured List, just one day before the season kicked off.

While this news is certainly disappointing, an injured Mondesi isn’t the end-all-be-all for this team. The Royals can still have success without Mondesi and maybe perhaps this will motivate them even more while their starting shortstop is unavailable.

The lineup is still going to be very good. Whit Merrifield, Andrew Benintendi, Carlos Santana, Salvador Perez, and Hunter Dozier will have to pick up the load a little more than usual. Rookie Kyle Isbel might be under more pressure now that Mondesi is out. Michael A. Taylor and Nicky Lopez hopefully can give this team something offensively during this time.

The pitching will also have to step their game up too. People outside of Kansas City don’t seem to have much faith in the team’s rotation or bullpen, so this is a time for those two units to prove the naysayers wrong. The bullpen, in particular, should be much better than what people are saying, as a lot of the same relievers from a year ago (which was a good bullpen) are back in Kansas City.

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The absence of Adalberto Mondesi will hurt, but it shouldn’t deter the KC Royals from the task at hand.

The point of this season is to get the young guys acclimated to what a true competitive season of Major League Baseball looks like because that’s the direction this team is ultimately headed in. Mondesi is a good ballplayer and, when healthy, has star potential, but he struggled throughout most of last season and the Royals managed just fine without his top-notch production early on.

It’s also worth noting that Mondesi is on the 10-Day IL, meaning he might be back before we know it. The Royals have three days off in the first week and a half of action, meaning Mondesi might end up just missing a handful of games.

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The injury to Adalberto Mondesi is definitely unfortunate, but when it comes down to it, the Royals still have a talented enough roster to keep this team afloat while the shortstop is unable to play. Hopefully, by the time he comes back, this team is rocking and rolling and he only adds to the explosiveness of the Kansas City Royals.

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