Garcia (hand) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.
Garcia will miss a second straight start due to left hand soreness. The injury forced Garcia from Tuesday's game against the Nationals, but it's something he's dealt with off-and-on for the past month. Consider him day-to-day. Nick Loftin will get another start at third base in Garcia's stead.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Not starting due to hand injury
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Garcia (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Garcia will miss out on at least one start after he exited Tuesday's 6-4 loss after five innings due to soreness in his left hand. Though Garcia looked to have suffered the injury during a swing on his final at-bat of the evening, he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com on Wednesday that the hand has been a recurring issue since the Royals' series with the Cardinals a month ago. Garcia noted that he typically feels pain only when he hits foul balls rather than making direct contact, and the expectation is that he'll continue to play through the lingering discomfort. Nick Loftin will draw the start at third base in place of Garcia in the series finale in Washington and will bat eighth.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Makes early departure
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Garcia was removed from Tuesday's game against the Nationals with an apparent hand injury, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Garcia's hand looked to be bothering him during his final plate appearance in the fourth inning, and the Royals eventually pulled him for a pinch hitter in the sixth. The severity of his injury is unknown, but the Royals should provide more information after the game.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Drives in three, swipes fifth bag
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Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 4-0 win over Houston.
Garcia got the Royals on the board early with an RBI single in the first inning before delivering a two-run double in the third. He also stole his fifth base of the season in the opening frame. The infielder has been productive of late, driving in eight runs over his last 10 games. On the season, Garcia is slashing .268/.326/.382 with three home runs, 16 doubles, two triples, 28 RBI and 32 runs scored across 279 plate appearances.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Exiting starting lineup
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Garcia is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rangers.
Garcia returned from a hamstring injury to start each of the previous four contests, but he'll grab a seat during Thursday's matinee. Nick Loftin will cover third base for the Royals.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Remains out of lineup Friday
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Garcia (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.
Garcia is missing his sixth straight start, though he was able to pinch hit in Thursday's 8-6 win over the Twins. With Garcia absent from the starting nine, Nick Loftin is starting at third base and batting eighth against right-hander Zebby Matthews.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Out of lineup again Thursday
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Garcia (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Twins.
It will be a fifth straight start missed for Garcia, who is working his way back from a right hamstring injury. The Royals are optimistic Garcia will be able to avoid the injured list, but a decision one way or another will need to be made soon. Nick Loftin is again filling in at third base in Garcia's stead.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Set to be evaluated Monday
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Garcia (hamstring) will be re-evaluated Monday, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.
Garcia suffered a right hamstring strain in Saturday's loss to the Rangers, and he was unavailable for Sunday's contest as a result. Manager Matt Quatraro provided an update Sunday, outing that the 26-year-old is "feeling better" and that the team is "not going to IL him right now." Garcia is expected to do some testing of his hamstring Monday, and Kansas City will see what direction it wants to go from there.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: No decision yet on IL stint
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Garcia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers as the Royals await test results on the right hamstring injury he suffered in Saturday's 7-6 loss, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Garcia sustained the injury in the seventh inning Saturday while running the bases and was immediately lifted. At this stage, the 26-year-old appears more likely than not to wind up on the IL, but the Royals are holding out hope that he's dealing with a low-grade strain that may cause him to miss just a few games.
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Royals' Maikel Garcia: Trio of hits in loss
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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 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 Friday's lineup
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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
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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
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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: 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.
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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.
