KC Royals Injury Update: Bobby Witt Jr., Carlos Estévez, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright

Opening Day is just 15 days away, and the Kansas City Royals already have a number of players dealing with injury issues. Pitchers Carlos Estévez, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and James McArthur have all been sidelined, but while McArthur is ruled out until May/June after undergoing surgery on his right elbow, the others have made promising progress.

KC Royals Injury Update: Bobby Witt Jr. suffers left forearm contusion

On March 12, Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was hit in the left wrist/hand by a 95.9 mph pitch from Seattle Mariners reliever Andrés Muñoz, and left the spring training game after falling to the ground in pain. Immediately after the game, manager Matt Quatraro said that Witt would be getting an x-ray.

“He said initially that he just lost feeling in his fingers, but he said it was coming back,” Quatraro told MLB.com's Anne Rogers. “I can’t speak for what he was feeling other than that he said he couldn’t feel his fingers, but there is a nerve in that area.”

Fortunately, it seems the worst has been avoided. Not long after the conclusion of the game, Kansas City posted on social media that while Witt has a left forearm contusion, "x-rays are negative for a fracture."

The Royals confirmed that he will be reevaluated the following morning (March 13).

KC Royals Injury Update: Carlos Estévez scheduled for March 14 return

Having been delayed at spring training after experiencing left lower back tightness in late February, reliever Carlos Estévez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on March 14. This comes after the 29-year-old threw a live bullpen on March 11, which manager Matt Quatraro said went "really well," per MLB.com's Anne Rogers.

Coming off a career-best season in 2024, Estévez signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Royals on January 31. The team is yet to confirm Estévez's exact role in the bullpen this season, including whether he will take over the closing role from Lucas Erceg, or be shifted to a set-up role which Erceg stays as closer. The Royals may also took to a closer-by-committee arrangement, but until Estévez makes his spring training debut, any position battle that needs to happen has been delayed.

KC Royals Injury Update: Alec Marsh throws first live bullpen

After an underwhelming 2024 campaign, Alec Marsh went into spring training with a lot to prove, but so far, he hasn't had the opportunity. Just hours after arriving at camp on February 12, MLB.com's Anne Rogers reported that he'd "experienced right shoulder tightness this offseason" and would be delayed in his throwing progression. Now, it appears he's slowly getting back on track.

Having started camp limited to playing catch before finally progressing to throwing bullpens on February 24, Marsh threw his first live bullpen on March 9. According to Rogers, the right-hander faced four hitters on the backfields at the Royals’ spring training complex in Arizona.

“It’s been so long, so I was trying to keep everything simple,” Marsh told Rogers after the session. “I think first batter, I kind of danced around a little bit. I was like, ‘No, that’s not good.’ So just got back in the zone, tried to pound the zone. Just get the feel for a hitter in a box, don’t try to do too much. I was really happy with it."

Having missed so much of spring training, Marsh isn't likely to break camp with the Royals, especially since the team is now just two weeks out from Opening Day.

KC Royals Injury Update: Kyle Wright back to normal bullpen schedule

Pitcher Kyle Wright was sidelined for the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair his right shoulder capsule, and while he went into spring training this year with expectations of a normal camp progression, he was quickly delayed by a hamstring strain on February 18.

Now, Wright is back to normal bullpen schedule, per MLB.com, having thrown his first live bullpen on March 8 and with another one scheduled for March 13. Should he continue to progress without further issues, the right-hander isn't expected to miss significant time this season, with manager Matt Quatraro commenting that the Royals "view Wright as a starter."

"Being a starter, that's what he's been his whole career and that's what we value him as," Quatraro said on March 11.