Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. Announces News After Third Straight Absence From Lineup

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 5:14 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals (73–70) are entering a crucial series against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, sitting 2.0 games back of the final American League wild card spot.

The Royals have been playing shorthanded recently, as superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has missed the team’s final two games over the weekend with low back spasms.
It’s a different issue from when he missed two games with mid-back tightness in August.

His absences come at an unfortunate time for Kansas City, as every game in the final three weeks remains crucial and Witt remains the most important player on the roster. Over 139 games for the Royals this year, the 25-year-old shortstop has posted a .294 batting average, .352 on-base percentage, .855 OPS, 21 home runs and 34 stolen bases.

Bobby Witt Jr. Injury Update

After Witt was absent from the Royals lineup for a third consecutive game on Monday, concerns began to mount as the team’s postseason hopes rely on the superstar’s availability.

However, Witt announced good news regarding his rehab ahead of the matchup—he had resumed baseball activities, doing running and glove work, and will see how he responds before resuming hitting.

“It’s gotten better every day since,” Witt said via MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.

Bobby Witt Jr. is out of the lineup for the third straight day but did some baseball activity this afternoon (running, glove work). Said he feels “better.” Plan is to see how he responds to that and then potentially hit.

“It’s gotten better every day since.”
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) September 8, 2025

The Royals cannot welcome Witt back to the lineup soon enough, as he was a huge reason for the team’s return to the postseason in 2024. In Witt’s absence, Maikel Garcia has stepped in at shortstop.

Over his excellent first four seasons in MLB, all with Kansas City, Witt has collected two All-Star appearances, one batting title, a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award, along with a second-place finish in AL MVP voting in 2024.

Although Witt’s absence is felt, the franchise is being careful with his return, as he remains the focal point of the team’s future beyond 2025—currently signed to an 11-year, $288 million deal.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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