Random former Guardian gets Royals promotion after Bobby Witt Jr. injury

The Kansas City Royals have arguably been one of the more disappointing teams in baseball this year. After opening the season with what looked like a serious chance to win the lowly American League Central, they entered play on Wednesday with the second-worst record in the AL.

And things went from bad to worse for them on Wednesday morning when they placed Bobby Witt Jr. on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness. In response, the Royals called up infielder Andrew Velazquez, who played in five games for Cleveland at the end of the 2019 season. 

Former Guardian Andrew Velazquez has a new lease on MLB life with Royals

Velazquez’s Cleveland tenure started in September 2019 in place of Jason Kipnis, who suffered a hamate fracture in his right wrist that ended up proving to be the end of his tenure with the Guardians. 

Velazquez played in five games w and went 2-for-23 across the final weeks of the season as Cleveland missed out on a postseason berth. 

The Guardians designated him for assignment ahead of the 2020 season, and he’s bounced around MLB in the time since and seen time with the Orioles, Yankees and Angels. His best season came in 2022 when he played in 124 games and was worth 1.4 bWAR. Most of that came on the back of his stellar defense (4 Outs Above Average), as he slashed just .196/.236/.304. 

That profile has been the M.O. for most of his career, as he has a career batting average of just .186 but has rated as an above-average fielder at four different positions throughout his career. 

He’s had a solid season in the minors, however. He started the year with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate before joining Kansas City in June, and has slashed .270/.333/.370 in 58 games between the two locations. 

He went 1-for-3 with a bunt single in his Royals debut on Wednesday.

Although the Royals haven’t been much of a factor in the AL Central this season, Witt’s still putting together a great season where he’s slashed .279/.350/.450 with 13 home runs, 39 RBI and an American League-leading 30 steals. He also leads the AL in bWAR (4.9). 

He was the odds on favorite to win American League MVP thanks to Aaron Judge’s injury, but his injury means that the rest of the field will have at least 10 days to catch up to him. 

Witt’s injury all but confirms the Royals are going to be sellers at the trade deadline, though the main pieces they’ll deal will likely be players with expiring contracts like old friend Lane Thomas. 

Even if Witt’s placement on the shelf doesn’t have the same kind of impact as the White Sox losing one of their key pieces, it still has a bit of impact, and also allows for Guardians fans to reminisce on an old era of the team’s history.

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