Mike Moustakas Sprains Knee in Loss; MRI Ahead

In the Royals 4-3 loss to the Mariners on Saturday, Mike Moustakas dove after a Casper Wells grounder down the line and threw from his knees. He later came out of the lineup with discomfort in his right knee. The Royals later characterized it as a sprain.

Moustakas told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he didn’t think the knee was seriously injured, but he’s day-to-day at the moment.

Regardless, the Royals are going to have Moose get an MRI. If he misses a few games, that’s not too bad – the last thing the Royals need to do is push him to return too quickly in a lost season. If it takes a trip to the disabled list, so be it. Irving Falu would fit in if he needed to for two weeks. Yuniesky Betancourt filled in at third after Moose came out. If he doesn’t get traded, he’s most likely to fill in.

Hopefully it’s not serious. The Royals have been hit over and over with injuries to key players. Losing Moustakas from the lineup isn’t good for anybody and the worst case scenario is any kind of injury that would affect him long-term that could carry into next season.

Moustakas has had a great season in 2012, hitting for more power than last year and showing more consistency than his up and down 2011. His defense has been great all year as well. According to FanGraphs, he’s the best defensive third baseman in baseball, and it’s not very close, either.