KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals activated All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. from the injured list on Tuesday after he missed two weeks with back tightness.
“He’s done a great job working to get back, communicating with the medical department and getting himself in a good spot that we feel comfortable,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota. “We’re very happy to have him back.”
A three-time All-Star, Witt leads the American League with 30 stolen bases. He is batting .279 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs in 94 games.
Witt was in the lineup against the Twins, but Quatraro said the Royals might manage his workload in the coming days.
“A lot of it is going to depend on the volume of the game,” Quatraro said. “We’ll look at game times, and workloads and temperature and all those kinds of things and communicate with him and see how he feels.”
Avila and Kolek to have Tommy John and Royals make several moves
Also Tuesday, Quatraro said right-handers Luinder Avila (5-4, 5.53 ERA) and Stephen Kolek (4-3, 4.50 ERA) would undergo Tommy John surgery this week.
The Royals made several roster moves, recalling right-hander Jose Cuas from Triple-A Omaha and claiming lefty Connor Thomas off waivers from the Athletics. They also designated shortstop Andrew Velazquez and left-hander Matt Strahm for assignment.
Cuas, 32, has a 2.84 ERA in five relief appearances for the Royals this season.
Thomas, 28, was claimed off waivers by the Athletics on July 30 and designated for assignment last Saturday. Before joining the Athletics, Thomas made two relief appearances across two major league stints for Atlanta.
Strahm, 34, is 3-4 with a 7.32 ERA in 41 appearances for Kansas City. Velazquez signed with Kansas City on June 24 and went 1 for 15 in six games.
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The Associated Press
