The Kansas City Royals are holding their collective breath regarding the health of the 2024 American League MVP runner-up.
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. exited Wednesday's contest against the Seattle Mariners in the fifth inning after he was struck by a pitch.
The Royals said he was being evaluated for an injury to his left forearm.
Witt was eventually diagnosed with a left forearm contusion by the team following the game. X-rays came back negative for a fracture and he'll be reevaluated on Thursday morning.
Manager Matt Quatraro spoke to reporters after the game and mentioned that Witt Jr. told the team he initially lost feeling in his fingers but said "it was coming back," per MLB.com's Anne Rogers.
The 24-year-old is looking to parlay his All-Star 2024 into this season, with two homers, four RBI and a .276 average in 29 at-bats so far in Spring Training.
Prior to his injury, Witt Jr. had two at-bats with no hits and one strikeout. He was replaced at shortstop by Tyler Tolbert.
Witt Jr. came second only to Aaron Judge in the AL MVP race after the 2019 second-overall pick had 32 homers, 109 RBI and 31 stolen bases while slashing .332/.389/.588 last season.
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