Witt has a hit in his only at-bat through two games for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.
Witt has been a bench bat for the USA, but he was fortunate to log plenty of time in spring training before leaving for the international tournament. Over seven Cactus League games, he hit .389 (7-for-18) with four RBI, a stolen base and six runs scored. Witt showed enticing speed (30 steals) and power (20 home runs, 31 doubles) over 150 games as a rookie last year, and he is penciled in as the Royals' starting shortstop this season after spending a large part of 2022 at third base.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Achieves 30-steal season
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Witt went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 5-2 extra-inning win over the Guardians.
Witt has struggled a bit to begin October, going 2-for-13 with two walks and two steals in three games this month. The late surge on the basepaths was ultimately enough to earn him a 30-steal season as a rookie. He's also maintained a .254/.295/.431 slash line with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 82 runs scored, 31 doubles and six triples through 148 contests.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Gets Wednesday off
Rotowire
Witt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Witt had started in every game for the Royals since Aug. 12, so he was probably overdue for a day off. His move to the bench comes while he's in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .364 with nine runs, eight RBI and a stolen base. Nicky Lopez will step in at shortstop for Witt.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Logs steal in win
Rotowire
Witt went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Twins.
Witt recorded his third straight multi-hit effort, and he's up to a 13-game hitting streak. During that longer span, he's batted .327 (17-for-52) with five doubles, six RBI, eight runs scored and two steals. The 22-year-old rookie has lifted his season slash line up to .254/.294/.439 with 20 home runs, 28 steals, 76 RBI and 77 runs scored in 139 contests. He's seeing regular time at his natural position of shortstop lately.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Knocks in two runs
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Witt went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's victory over the Red Sox.
Witt singled home MJ Melendez in the fifth inning and Hunter Dozier in the sixth. He also reached home on a Vinnie Pasquantino double in the fifth inning. Since Sept. 7, Witt has hits in eight of nine games, going 10-for-35. Despite that, his batting average has only increased three points to .249 during that span thanks in part to striking out five times.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Gets aboard thrice in win
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.
Witt showed some patience at the plate Wednesday, which is solid given his 5.1 percent walk rate for the year. He attempted a steal in the first inning but was caught, only to successfully record a theft in the eighth. The rookie infielder has had some struggles with consistency at times, but he's at 20 home runs, 27 steals in 33 attempts, 70 RBI, 69 runs scored and a .246/.291/.438 slash line through 127 contests overall. He's hit safely in 14 of his last 18 games.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Three RBI in win
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's win against the Tigers.
Witt launched a three-run blast in the third that scored MJ Melendez and Nicky Lopez. It was his 20th home run and his second in the last four days. Since ending an eight-game hit streak Aug. 28, Witt has gone 4-for-28 with eight strikeouts. Despite that, the young shortstop has been productive on the basepaths and at the plate, picking up five runs and five RBI during that span. Witt's season batting average sits at .248 after Saturday's contest.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Smacks 19th homer
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the White Sox.
Witt is closing in on a 20-20 season in his rookie year, as his homer Wednesday was his 19th of the year and his third in seven games. The infielder has already accumulated 26 steals in 30 attempts. He's up to a .251/.292/.446 slash line with 66 RBI, 67 runs scored, 22 doubles and six triples through 120 contests.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Records pair of steals
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-3 with a pair of stolen bases, a walk and a run scored in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Padres.
Witt walked, stole a base and scored in the Royals' three-run first inning. He'd get aboard again in the second with a single and added another steal, but the offense struggled to get anything else going in the contest. The rookie infielder has racked up six of his 26 steals in August, and he's tied with the Cardinals' Tommy Edman for fourth in the majors in thefts. Witt is riding an eight-game hitting streak that has lifted his slash line to .254/.297/.447 with 18 home runs, 64 RBI and 64 runs scored through 117 contests.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Swats big three-run homer
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 victory versus the Diamondbacks.
Witt's lone hit of the contest was a big one, as his seventh-inning, three-run blast to center field gave Kansas City a four-run lead. The long ball was his second in as many contests and extended his modest hitting streak to six games. Each of Witt's past three hits have gone for extra bases (two homers, one triple).
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Homers and triples
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Witt went 2-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and an additional run in a 7-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Witt's ability to get on base from the top third of the Royals lineup has been subpar in his rookie season, evidenced by a .294 OBP. However, the 22-year-old shortstop has flashed a rare combination of power and speed over the first 472 plate appearances of his young career. Witt now has 17 home runs to go along with six triples and 24 stolen bases in 2022.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Contributes steal in win
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Witt went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-4 win over the White Sox.
Witt has gone nine games without a multi-hit effort, batting just .182 (6-for-33). He's added a home run, two steals, three RBI and three runs scored in that span. The rookie infielder is slashing .250/.293/.431 with 16 homers, 24 steals in 28 attempts, 60 RBI and 60 runs scored through 113 contests overall.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Launches two-run homer
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Witt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's victory over the Rays.
Witt launched a two-run shot in the third inning that scored MJ Melendez. It was his 16th homer of the year and his first since Aug. 3. After batting .294 in July, the rookie shortstop is batting .215 this month. He has gone 14-for-65 with 13 strikeouts and just two walks. It may be that Witt is just in a funk this month, but it could also be that pitchers have started to figure out the young star and are exploiting a weakness.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Logs 23rd steal
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Witt went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 9-0 loss to the Twins.
Witt singled and stole second in the fourth inning. He was one of two Royals runners to reach third base, but he was left on base. The rookie has been held without a hit in five of his last nine games, going 6-for-33 (.182) in that span. The slight slump has him down to a .251/.293/.430 slash line with 23 steals in 27 attempts, 15 home runs, 57 RBI and 57 runs scored through 443 plate appearances.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Scores twice off bench
Rotowire
Witt went 1-for-1 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.
Witt didn't start Thursday, but he ran for Hunter Dozier in the seventh inning and scored on a Nicky Lopez single. In the eighth, Witt singled and stole second before tallying an insurance run on a Michael Taylor single. Through nine games in August, Witt's posted a .273/.314/.364 slash line with a home run, six RBI, six runs scored and a pair of steals. He continues to split time between third base and shortstop, depending on where Hunter Dozier slots into the lineup.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Day off Thursday
Rotowire
Witt isn't starting Thursday against the White Sox.
Witt is getting a breather after he hit .200 with four RBI and a run over the last five games. Nicky Lopez will shift to shortstop while Michael Massey starts at second base.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Not starting Friday
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Witt is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Red Sox, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Witt is 4-for-8 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and a stolen base in the past two games but will receive Friday off. Nicky Lopez will shift to shortstop while Michael Massey starts at the keystone.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Two hits, swipes bag
Rotowire
Witt went 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 7-3 win against Boston.
Witt singled, stole second and scored in the first inning and brought home the game-winning run with a single before scoring in the seventh for his second straight multi-hit effort. The 22-year-old is one of two players with 15 home runs and 20 thefts and could put together a strong close to his rookie campaign with a .308 average, two home runs and three stolen bases across his last seven games.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Solo homer in loss
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Witt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss against the White Sox.
Witt launched a solo shot in the sixth inning, the only run scored for the Royals. It was Witt's 15th home run of the year. The rookie's batting average has been getting better each month. He hit .216 in April, .243 in May, .263 in June, and .294 in July. The result is a .255 batting average for the season. One problem Witt has yet to solve is how to cut down on strikeouts. He had more strikeouts than hits in each month except July and already has three strikeouts this month.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Quiet in return
Rotowire
Witt (hand) went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Tuesday's 9-2 loss to the White Sox.
Witt has had a bumpy week or so with a hamstring injury preceding the hand injury that kept him out of Monday's contest. This was just his second hitless game in six since the All-Star break. The rookie is slashing ,252/.296/.447 with 14 home runs, 51 RBI, 51 runs scored and 20 stolen bases through 392 plate appearances. He should resume his role as the everyday shortstop if he can avoid further injury issues.
