Royals' Maikel Garcia: Expected to be ready for spring
Rotowire
Garcia (elbow) is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, MLB.com reports.
Garcia reported soreness in his right elbow while playing catch recently and an MRI revealed bone chips, which he had surgically removed Thursday. The Royals are calling the procedure "minor" and do not expect the infielder's availability for the beginning of spring training to be impacted. Garcia slashed .231/.281/.332 with seven home runs and 37 stolen bases for Kansas City during the 2024 regular season.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Undergoes elbow surgery
Rotowire
Garcia underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow Thursday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
Garcia didn't spend any time on the injured list in 2024 and was available throughout the postseason, leaving it unclear when he suffered the injury. The Royals haven't commented as to whether Garcia's recovery will cost him any time during spring training or even regular season contests.
Garcia is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta.
Garcia had started the last seven games, including each of the past four contests versus lefties, but he'll grab a seat in this one as Atlanta sends southpaw Max Fried to the bump. Garrett Hampson is at third base and batting eighth for the Royals.
Garcia will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Giants.
Garcia will pick up his fourth consecutive start and may have re-emerged as the Royals' preferred option at third base ahead of Adam Frazier and Paul DeJong. Since the beginning of September, Garcia has gotten on base at a poor .245 clip, but he's offered a bit of fantasy value with his speed (four steals).
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Registers 37th steal
Rotowire
Garcia went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Giants.
Garcia was held without a hit for the third game in a row, but he was able to make a little noise after drawing a ninth-inning walk. The infielder has four steals over his last six games and 37 thefts on 39 attempts this season. He's added a middling .237/.284/.342 slash line with seven home runs, 58 RBI and 84 runs scored over 149 games.
Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored, an RBI and three stolen bases in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Pirates.
The Royals went 6-for-6 on steal attempts on the day, with Garcia leading the charge. The 24-year-old snapped a 12-game drought on the basepaths with the performance, a stretch in which he batted just .147 (5-for-34) and failed to even score a run. On the season, Garcia is slashing .238/.284/.343 with seven homers, 36 steals, 56 RBI and 84 runs in 144 contests.
