KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. is returning to the starting lineup Friday night, a week after a knee injury forced him to leave a game early.
Witt Jr., who has battled right knee soreness at times in 2026, exited a June 18 game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a grade 1 MCL sprain, the Royals said.
Friday night, he returns to Kansas City’s lineup batting second. However, he’ll be the designated hitter, leaving Josh Rojas to play shortstop as Witt Jr. works his way back from the injury.
Kansas City did not send Witt Jr. to the injured list, despite six games without him in the lineup. Witt Jr. has not been placed on the injured list at any point in his five-year MLB career.
This season, Witt Jr. is leading the AL in Wins Above Replacement and has 10 home runs, 32 RBI and 28 stolen bases.
On Thursday, MLB announced that Witt Jr. is one of the finalists to start the All-Star Game at shortstop.
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