Royals’ Adalberto Mondesi diagnosed with torn ACL

11:19 a.m.: Royals general manager Dayton Moore has announced that Mondesi has been diagnosed with a ruptured ACL . This will most likely end his season and, depending on his recovery, possibly even his tenure with the team. Mondesi will be eligible for arbitration for the last time this winter. He would likely receive a similar salary at this year’s affordable $3 million, but after a serious knee injury, it’s not a lock that he will be offered a contract. The Royals will have all season to assess him and monitor his recovery before making that call. If he progresses well, it’s an eminently reasonable price, but only time will tell how the rehabilitation process unfolds.

As for Singer, he will indeed be rebuilt as a starting pitcher in Omaha, Moore added. This could indicate a quick turnaround and a return to the Majors, assuming all goes well. The singer last pitched on April 26 and pitched two innings. It is possible that he will be able to start in the next few days.

11:15 a.m.: The Royals announced a series of roster changes on Thursday, including opting for the right-hander Brady Singer at Triple-A Omaha and placing the shortstop Adalberto Mondesi on the 10-day disabled list. outfielder Kyle Isbel and infielder Emmanuel River are up Omaha in a pair of matching moves. Mondesi is suffering from a knee injury and last night’s tests revealed structural damage, for Alex Lewis of Athletics

Outside of a brief rehab assignment in 2021, this will be the first stint in a minor league for Singer since 2019, when he was just a year away from being the No. 1 pick. 18 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Singer made the Royals’ opening day roster in 2020 and has been on the big players list (or injured list) ever since. He looked like a potential fixture in the rotation after a strong rookie in 2020, when he threw a 4.06 ERA with league-average strikeout and walk rates plus an excellent 53.1% rush rate. in 64 1/3 sleeves.

The 2021 season did not go so well, however. Singer had some ups and downs in the first half, but was generally serviceable heading into the All-Star break, recording a 4.52 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. However, he was averaging less than five innings per appearance, and by mid-July his speed had dropped slightly from his early-season average. Singer was hit by the Orioles for seven runs in just two innings on July 17, and the Royals put him on injured reserve with shoulder fatigue days later. Singer returned in just under a month, but he didn’t survive the rest of the season as he returned to the injured list in late September with a bicep injury.

Kansas City somewhat surprisingly moved Singer out of the bullpen rotation this year — a new role for a pitcher who had started his previous 39 big league appearances. The results so far have not been great; Singer drove in four runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Manager Mike Matheny said when the Royals established their opening day rotation that the organization still views Singer as a long-range starting pitcher. So it’s possible that Singer will have the opportunity to stretch and return to the Majors as a starting pitcher. Kansas City has had poor results from both Kris Bubic and Carlos Hernandezwhich could open the door for Singer or some of the organization’s other young arms to grab a starting job.

Optioning Singer has implications beyond the immediate right-hander role or even beyond the team’s current rotation. Because Singer broke camp with the Royals in 2020 and was on the roster all last season, he entered the year with exactly two years of MLB service. He is expected to spend 172 days on the roster in 2022 to reach three years of service and stay on track for free agency after the 2025 season. If Singer spends more than two weeks in the minors, it will push back that free agent eligibility. in the 2026-27 off-season. He would likely still be eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player – barring a particularly long stint in Omaha – but his time in the minors will nonetheless be worth watching closely.

As Mondesi, the knee injury is the latest in a long line of ailments that have kept talent in that knee for the fragile infielder roster. Mondesi has been lacking time over the past few seasons with oblique, hamstring, groin and especially shoulder injuries. The shoulder problem proved particularly costly, as Mondesi suffered a subluxation twice before undergoing surgery with a six-month recovery period.

Mondesi has played in 59 of the Royals’ 60 games in 2020, but overall from 2019-21 he has only featured in 196 of a possible 384 games (51%). There’s no specific timetable for when Mondesi could join the Royals, but the mere mention of structural damage portends a potentially significant time away from the lineup.

In the meantime, the Royals are deep into midfield options. Bobby Witt Jr. played third base with Nicki Lopez at second base, but both are experienced and more than capable shortstops. merrifield white has lined up more often than not in the outfield this season, but could definitely come back to second base, Lopez sliding to shortstop. This setup could open the door for Isbel — an accomplished minor league hitter who has yet to solidify in the majors — to get a broader look at the outfield.