Garcia went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's 6-3 loss against the Tigers.
Garcia reached base in all four plate appearances Sunday, tallying his fourth three-hit performance of the campaign. Following a breakout 2025 season in which he posted an .800 OPS, the third baseman has continued to produce in 2026. Through 39 games, the 26-year-old is slashing .285/.353/.437 with 12 doubles, a triple, three homers, 16 RBI, 21 runs and four stolen bases while operating exclusively out of the leadoff spot.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Pair of hits in loss
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Garcia went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Thursday's loss to the Guardians.
Garcia recorded his second two-hit performance in as many days, ripping a leadoff double in the top of the first inning before later driving in a run with a single in the fifth frame. The third baseman's numbers have been trending upward of late, as he's slashing .303/.351/.515 with a homer, four doubles, four RBI, four runs and two stolen bases over the past eight games.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Records steal in win
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Garcia went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Mariners.
Garcia has hit safely in five of his last six games, going 8-for-27 (.296) with five extra-base hits in that span. The infielder is batting .270 with a .762 OPS, three home runs, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, four stolen bases, nine doubles and a triple over 32 contests. Garcia has stolen at least 23 bases over each of the last three years, so the potential is there for him to run more frequently as the season progresses.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Records three XBH Thursday
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Garcia went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, two doubles and an additional run scored in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Athletics.
Garcia put together one of his best performances of the season, doubling in the first inning and coming around to score, then launching a solo homer off Jeffrey Springs in the second before adding another double in the fourth. The homer was his first since April 11 and helped snap a recent slump in which he was hitting just .180 with two RBI over his previous 13 games. Garcia is now slashing .274/.341/.442 with three homers, eight doubles, 11 RBI and 17 runs scored across 126 plate appearances.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Remaining on bench Sunday
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Garcia (elbow) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The 26-year-old will sit for a third straight game after exiting Wednesday's contest due to right elbow cramps. Garcia was expected to rejoin the lineup Friday, then Saturday, before ultimately sitting out both times, but there's been no indication yet he made need an IL stint. The Royals have a team day off Monday, so Garcia will get an extra day to recover ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the A's.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Garcia (elbow) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.
Garcia was expected to return to the starting nine Saturday after sitting out Friday's contest with elbow cramps, but he will instead sit out a second consecutive game. Nick Loftin will pick up an extra start at the hot corner as a result and bat eighth.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Garcia (elbow) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.
After leaving Wednesday's game against the Orioles due to right elbow soreness, Garcia said he expected to play in Friday's series opener versus the Halos. The 25-year-old will open the contest on the bench, however, despite coming off a team day off Thursday. Nick Loftin is instead starting at the hot corner and batting leadoff for Kansas City.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Leaves game with apparent injury
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Garcia was removed from Wednesday's game after the fifth inning with an undisclosed injury, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
It's unclear what exactly happened with Garcia, as he struck out looking in the bottom of the fifth inning before being removed for defense prior to the start of the sixth. He had two popups in addition to the strikeout before departing. Garcia should be considered day-to-day until the Royals update his status.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Powers offense in loss
Rotowire
Garcia went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and an additional RBI in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Brewers.
After going 0-for-4 in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheder versus Milwaukee, Garcia got on track with three hits in the nightcap before delivering another multi-hit game Sunday. He launched his first home run of the season during the third inning to put Kansas City on the board. In addition to Sunday's long ball, Garcia has been productive as the Royals' leadoff man so far this season with two doubles, a .333/.425/.485 slash line and 6:5 BB:K in 40 plate appearances.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Doubles in three-hit effort
Rotowire
Garcia went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's Game 2 win over Milwaukee.
It was Garcia's second multi-hit game of the young campaign, and he picked up only his second extra-base knock. He wasn't quite as productive in the matinee, going 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. The infielder has logged at least one hit in six of his first eight contests, also posting one stolen base thus far. Garcia has been Kansas City's everyday leadoff man to begin the year, which should give him plenty of chances to score runs and swipe bags in the future.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Clutch hit in WBC win
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Garcia went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Team Venezuela's 4-2 win Monday over Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
Garcia came up clutch with a two-out RBI single off Michael Lorenzen in the seventh inning, giving Venezuela its first lead of the day -- one it wouldn't relinquish en route to securing a berth in the World Baseball Classic championship game. The infielder has produced at a high level throughout the tournament, slashing .435/.458/.652 with two doubles, a homer, six RBI and three stolen bases across six games. Coming off a breakout 2025 in which he posted an .800 OPS with 39 doubles, 16 homers, 74 RBI, 81 runs scored and 23 stolen bases across 160 regular-season games, Garcia carries plenty of momentum into the 2026 campaign with the Royals.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Pair of hits from leadoff spot
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Garcia went 2-for-2 in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Cubs.
Garcia showed some pop Monday, collecting a pair of singles that both left the bat at over 100 mph in his two plate appearances before being lifted. Notably, the third baseman was slotted into the leadoff spot as manager Matt Quatraro evaluates options atop the lineup for the regular season. The 25-year-old broke out with an .800 OPS across 160 games last year while hitting most often in the cleanup spot, but a one-two combination of Garcia and Bobby Witt would give the Royals a dynamic duo to open the lineup.
The Royals and Garcia (hamstring) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a five-year contract extension with a club option for 2031 on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com says the deal is worth a guaranteed $57.5 million and can reach $85 million if he hits escalators and the option is exercised. Garcia had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time as a Super 2 qualifier, but his new deal with cover all arbitration years and at least one year of free agency. Slated to turn 26 in March, Garcia had a breakout 2025 season, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases while capturing his first American League Gold Glove award. The third baseman recently strained his hamstring while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, but he should be fine for the beginning of spring training.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Strains hamstring in winter ball
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Garcia suffered a strained hamstring Sunday while playing for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, Marcos Grunfeld of El Emergente reports.
Garcia will wait to hear back from the Royals about either returning to winter ball at a later date or shutting things down. At the very least, he is expected to be sidelined for the next week or so. Garcia had a breakout 2025 campaign for Kansas City, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 160 games.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Finishes breakout year
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Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's win over the Athletics.
Garcia wasted no time, ripping a leadoff double on the first pitch of the game before adding a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth. The strong regular-season finale lifted his 2025 OPS to an even .800 with 39 doubles, five triples, 16 homers, 74 RBI and 23 stolen bases across 160 games, cementing a breakout year after he posted just a .613 OPS in 157 games last season.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Trio of hits in win
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Garcia went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Tuesday's win over the Angels.
Garcia set the tone with a leadoff double in the first inning and later came around to score on a wild pitch, sparking what became his first three-hit performance since Aug. 10. While he's had a quieter September with a .620 OPS over 20 games, the third baseman's 2025 campaign as a whole has been a breakout. Through 155 contests, he owns an .809 OPS with 38 doubles, five triples, 16 homers, 72 RBI and 23 stolen bases, ranking second among Royals regulars in OPS behind only Bobby Witt.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Belts 12th homer in win
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Garcia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-3 win over Texas.
Garcia has put together a five-game hitting streak, and he now has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 outings. The 25-year-old speedster is enjoying a career season in 2025 -- Garcia is slashing .302/.363/.473 with 12 homers, 56 RBI, 59 runs scored and 22 stolen bases over 510 plate appearances. He's also three RBI away from establishing a career-high mark.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Homers in loss
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Garcia went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-5 loss to the Red Sox.
Garcia singled in the sixth inning and added a solo homer in the eighth. The 25-year-old has now hit safely in nine of his past 11 games, tallying five multi-hit efforts with seven extra-base hits, eight RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base in that span. For the season, he's slashing .298/.354/.470 with 11 home runs, 49 RBI, 51 runs scored and 20 steals across 458 plate appearances.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Hot streak continues
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Garcia went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI and a walk in Monday's 10-7 loss against Atlanta.
Garcia got a break from the field Monday, serving as the designated hitter and making a strong impact at the plate. He extended his hitting streak to five games, during which he's slashing .500/.571/1.167 with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, a stolen base and five RBI. The 25-year-old is enjoying a true breakout campaign, slashing .301/.357/.476 with 28 doubles, five triples, 10 homers, 19 stolen bases and 46 RBI through 105 games. After recording an OPS below .600 in both 2023 and 2024, Garcia's current .833 OPS ranks second among Royals qualifiers, behind only Bobby Witt.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Stays hot at plate
Rotowire
Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and an RBI groundout during Sunday's 4-1 win over Cleveland.
After going 4-for-7 with two triples and a homer in Saturday's doubleheader, Garcia launched another home run Sunday, taking David Festa yard in the fifth inning. In his last 15 games, Garcia is 15-for-58 (.259) with 11 runs scored and a 4:6 BB:K. He has a .754 OPS on the season.
