Royals' Lose Valuable Infielder With Injury News
By Joe Summers
The Royals officially placed 2B Michael Massey on the 10-Day Injured List due to a lower back ligament sprain. That 10 days is retroactive to the 25th when Massey was held out in the Royals' 7-4 win due to the injury.
Nick Loftin has rejoined the major league club in a corresponding move. He hit .276/.371/.647 in 25 at-bats with the Royals earlier in the year, though Massey's loss is unfortunate as he was just hitting his stride.
Massey's hitting .333/.347/.970 in May with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last seven games, emerging as one of the most valuable players on this offense.
Royals News: 2B Michael Massey Goes to 10-Day Injured List
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/ZUFLsdkoBQ
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 26, 2024
The Royals have eight straight wins going into a Sunday afternoon series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays. Underlying metrics suggest this start is no fluke and Kansas City increasingly looks like a playoff team.
It appears that health is the only thing that could derail this magical season. Loftin is a serviceable replacement for Massey, having hit .309 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in Omaha so far this year. Even still, Massey's been too good not to think he'll be missed.
He's dealt with back problems previously, so there's also the concern this could be a lingering problem throughout the year. Baseball seasons are often wars of attrition, and Royals fans don't want this to be the first injury of several.
As things stands, the Royals are -240 to make the playoffs at FanDuel Sportsbook. That means you'd need to bet $24 to profit $10, meaning they're overwhelming favorites to keep the wins coming. Losing Massey hurts but every team deals with injuries during a season. Provided this stays an isolated incident, the Royals will be just fine.
This gives Loftin an opportunity to get some at-bats and show his hot offensive start is legitimate. Adam Frazier starts at 2B on Sunday, though I'd imagine we'll see Loftin get his chances while Massey is out as well.
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