3:58pm: Moustakas is indeed out for the season, manager Ned Yost confirmed to reporters, including Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
3:17pm: The Royals announced today (via Twitter) that third baseman Mike Moustakas has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Outfielder Brett Eibner has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the 25-man roster. Kansas City did not give a timeline for Moustakas’ return, but certainly a tear of his ACL would seem to put the remainder of his 2016 season in jeopardy. Moustakas suffered the injury in a foul-territory collision with Alex Gordon this past weekend — a doubly devastating accident for the Royals, as it also resulted in a fractured wrist and a trip to the disabled list for Gordon.
The 27-year-old Moustakas, long hailed as one of baseball’s top prospects, struggled through the early stages of his career but had a full-fledged breakout in 2015 when he batted .284/.348/.470 with 22 home runs and excellent defense at the hot corner, helping to fuel the Royals’ second consecutive trip to the World Series as well as their eventual victory. The driving factor in his emergence as a star was a dramatic improvement against left-handed pitching; after hitting just .211/.267/.328 against lefties from 2011-14, Moustakas crushed same-handed pitching to the tune of a .282/.328/.482 batting line in 2015. This season, he’s been limited to 27 games due to a minor fracture in his left thumb but had maintained his production versus lefties and delivered a solid overall line of .240/.301/.500 with characteristically strong defense.
For the Royals, the in-house options at the hot corner are most likely highlighted by a combination of prospect Cheslor Cuthbert and utilityman Whit Merrifield — each of whom was recently added to the big league roster. Kansas City has also seen 2013 first-rounder Hunter Dozier, who had an abysmal 2015 campaign at Double-A, enjoy a terrific resurgence playing primarily third base at Triple-A. Dozier has batted .296/.324/.521 through 17 games this season after obliterating Double-A pitching at an even more impressive .301/.370/.590 pace in 26 games to open the season. Dozier, it should be noted, is not on the 40-man roster, though if it’s determined that Moustakas will indeed miss the season, a spot could be opened simply by transferring him to the 60-day disabled list. Also of note is that early June is typically looked at as the threshold to safely avoid Super Two designation for well-regarded minor leaguers, so there’s some degree of financial incentive for Kansas City to keep Dozier at the minor league level a bit longer.
Alternatively, shifting Omar Infante across the diamond (though he’s struggled with the bat since signing in Kansas City) could be an option. Infante does have more than 600 career innings at third base, although he hasn’t seen any time at the position since 2012. Given that contingency of internal replacement candidates, it seems likely that the reigning World Series Champions will at least take some time to evaluate existing alternatives before looking outside the organization to acquire some help at the hot corner.
WOW!
Trade for Martin Prado soon? Or do you give Cuthbert and/or Hunter Dozier a trial run for a couple months and then reevaluate the trade market if they appear overmatched?
I can’t imagine KC trading for Prado right now as I don’t know what it would take to get him and the Royals are strapped for cash and prospects. I hate to bury my teams season so soon, but this is the type of thing that would derail most teams. We’re only two games above .500 and, while the season is young, the Royals seem to lack the necessary depth in pitching to make an earnest push for the postseason.
I hope this means that Cuthbert gets a good look at 3rd as he is only 23 and shows promise on defense.
I’m glad Cuthbert will finally get a solid look. Seems like Ned really likes him, but couldn’t justify sitting Moose with how he’s been the past season or so at the plate. Now Ches has a shot. Heavy bat, cannon arm. They sent him down to Omaha to work a bit at 2nd because Infante is a turd, now I think 3rd is his to lose at this point. I’m more confident with him than the pitching at this point…
You’re right…Miami isn’t going to trade their best hitter and probably overall player just to help the KC Royals out. And for what?
They sold their souls last year to get the trophy and are now finding out just how hard it is to repeat.
Luck, lack of major injuries, and a motivated hungry team normally is a good mix which is exactly what they had. Now…..who knows?
That single play sure had a dramatic impact on the left side of their defense, and likely their season!
Send a B level prospect and a lotto pick for Cody Asche, stick him at 3B (where he belongs) and hope the bat can improve (which it probably can).
Hes blocked in Philly at 3B, and hes horrible in the outfield.
A “torn ACL” (meaning a complete separation) could be career-ending, as it would need to be repaired or replaced surgically and last I heard replacement surgery is at best going to get you walking around again. If they mean a partial tear or sprain that’s enough for a long and not 100% recovery. Either way tough break for Moustakas and the Royals.
This is not true. Modern ACL reconstruction procedures allow even professional athletes to be back to 100% in 6-9 months if it’s there first such incident. If any cartilage was torn and subsequently need removed, that would be a larger long term issue as he remaining cartilage would be more prone to tear and arthritis would likely develop over time.
This may have all changed since I sprained my ACL but I was told not that many years ago that transplanted ligaments would not be “like new” and the recovery period would be long and painful. Took me six months just to get full motion back without surgery. With current orthopedics, dunno. Still if someone with this injury is being told they will be more prone to arthritis in that knee that tells me the joint will still be wobbly.
An ACL reconstruction is a very routine operation for a knee surgeon. The key to recovery is how seriously someone takes their rehab. A pro athlete will rehab like it is their job because it is until they start playing again and they probably had a lot of leg muscle to begin with.
The people you meet in PT that had their ACL done do rehab at their convenience and most likely are using insurance, which will usually only pay until the patient has full range of motion and gets back to “normal” activity, like light jogging,. They may also not be doing their at-home exercise program either. An ACL reconstruction will only be fully successful if you can regain all of the muscle that went away due the injury/surgery which lies on the shoulders of the patient for the most part.
BTW, you can’t repair an ACL (yet). It has to be reconstructed using your own or cadaver tissue.
I dimly recall someone telling me at the time that they’d had a partial tear repaired and another who got a pig ligament transplant. Anyway orthopedics has advanced a lot since then so probably this is all out of date.
Its definetly possible he could never be the same player, but Torn ACLs are common in the NFL (and occasionally in the NBA) and they don’t often result in career-ending injuries. The sports are completely different so I’m sure the stress on the knees are completely different but its not a definent career ending injury.
When you go through an injury like this you meet a lot of people in the same situation in PT. Heard lots of stories about ligament replacements that didn’t take and had to be redone. Enough to convince me to go the other route. Sports medicine, maybe not the same.
Even Football players come back quicker Than usual. MLB/NFLNBA Players get the BEST of the BEST when it comes to Dr’s, so I’m sure he be fine. Stroman tore his in Spring Training last year
But came back at end of year/playoffs
Agreed and I would imagine that NFL and NBA players have more “wear and tear” on their knees then MLB players so the post-comeback stress on the knee area might not be as bad. Mo Rivera also tore his ACL and while it took him a full year to get healthy, he still returned to be pretty dominant. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any position players that tore their ACL before so maybe the injury might be worse for position players than pitchers but the point is I don’t think this is career ending for him.
More wear and tear on a baseball player as the season lasts a lot longer and you don’t get a week to rest in between but he should be fine. MLB players get top notch medical attention and the Royals medical staff is definitely one of the best. Once his surgery is over, he will be in good hands. Heck, maybe he’ll turn into the all-star we were all hoping for.
Yes, trade for Prado. Great idea said the Nats fan. Get him out of our division.
Aaron Hill perhaps? Veteran on final contract year. Great clubhouse presence..
This is a good idea. Royals wouldn’t have to pay much. Brewers could take a chance and get a lottery ticket type prospect
Yangervis Solarte? Padres could use even a low-level prospect to restock their barren farm system and Solarte has hit in the AL. He’s no great shakes but is a decent placeholder, is cheap, and when Moustakas comes back next year Solarte will have value as a super-utility guy or even as a replacement for Infante.
“Pablo Sandoval, white courtesy phone, please…”
Right! Acquire another player out for the year to sub for a player out for the year. Fool
No sense of humor. I thought it was hilarious.
I somehow completely forgot that Pablo was out.. My mistake.. I still think my bad memory rates better than acting like a jerk, so I’m OK with my mistake.
Will Middlebrooks is in AAA and played like an All Star at 3B making only 1 E at the hot corner including spring training. Although his #s at the plate are not great he’s in a log jam and has had a lot of hard quality at bats. Playing the cold hasn’t helped. Colorado Springs has been the frozen tundra and to open the season Memphis Iowa and Nashville all were cold wet and raining. He’s a few knocks away from being the guy he was in Boston when he took the place of Yuk’s. No BRAINER to me. His mentality is that of a Big Leaguer and he’s been a leader in AAA with the Brew Crew helping Future All Star SS Arcia become a future big leaguer.
Idk the royals situation with their farm system but Prado makes perfect sense. I was hoping the Mets make a play at him if the price is right but I feel like a team like the royals will pay for him since their need is more dire.
Sure Prado to the Yankees makes perfect sense as does Prado to probably 20 MLB teams at this point that can use his versatility, bat, defense, and veteran presence.
What do they have to pay? That’s the question?
Prado isn’t coming cheap and from what I hear from Royals fans their farm system is pretty barren.
Money isn’t going to get this caliber of player from Miami.
The last thing the royals wanted to hear they just did. Huge blow for them prayers coming towards the moustakas family.
They can pick up Jose Reyes whenever they want. I’ll even pitch in for the plane ticket.