Maikel

Garcia

Garcia, who came off the bench to pinch-hit during Friday’s series opener, returns to Kansas City’s lineup in the cleanup spot following a six-game absence due to a right hamstring strain that he suffered last weekend. The 26-year-old infielder somehow managed to a trip to the injured list, but he’ll likely be limited to DH for a couple days, if not longer. It’s fair to question how the Royals handled the situation, but Garcia appears unlikely to miss any additional time.

Garcia came off the bench to deliver a run-scoring ground out in the ninth inning of Friday’s contest. The 26-year-old has been held out of Kansas City’s lineup for six consecutive games with a right hamstring strain. It’s baffling why the Royals opted against putting Garcia on the injured list after he suffered the injury last weekend. It remains unclear whether he’ll return to the lineup this weekend, but the fact that he was available off the bench during Friday’s series opener seems to indicate that he’s trending in the right direction. It’s undoubtedly a frustrating situation for fantasy managers.

It’s the sixth straight game that Garcia has missed due to his hamstring strain, though he did appear as a pinch hitter during the ninth inning of Friday’s contest. The expectation remains that he’ll be able to return to the lineup at some point over the weekend. Nick Loftin is once again starting in his place at the hot corner on Friday night.

It’s the fifth consecutive game that Garcia has missed since suffering a hamstring strain over the weekend. The good news is that he has been making steady improvements and will be available off the bench on Thursday. The expectation now is that he returns to the team’s starting lineup at some point over the weekend and is able to avoid a stint on the injured list.

Garcia remains sidelined for the fourth consecutive contest due to a hamstring strain that he suffered last weekend. The 26-year-old remains in a bit of a holding pattern as the Royals have held off on sending him to the injured list for now. There’s a chance he’s ready to return at some point during the club’s upcoming four-game series against the Twins. Fantasy managers should still consider him day-to-day.

This is now the third straight game that Garcia has missed. While it’s an encouraging sign that the Royals haven’t put him on the injured list, it’s worth remembering that he felt a pop when he was first hurt and the club hasn’t commented on the results of an MRI over the weekend. There’s optimism he’ll will return to the lineup on Wednesday, but it’s hard to say for sure. Nick Loftin will start at third base and bat sixth in his place on Tuesday night.

The encouraging news for the Royals and fantasy managers is that Garcia has yet to hit the injured list after suffering a right hamstring strain over the weekend. The 26-year-old underwent imaging on Sunday to determine the severity of the issue. It sounds like Kansas City is going to reevaluate him early this week to determine his next steps. It wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up hitting the injured list. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point soon.

Garcia was removed from Saturday’s contest after suffering a strained right hamstring. The Royals did make a roster move on Sunday morning, but didn’t place Garcia on the injured list, so it’s possible that he was fortunate and may not require an extended absence. Nick Loftin will start at the hot corner in his place on Sunday and will bat eighth against Rangers’ right-hander Jack Leiter.

Garcia was hurt after turning the corner at second base and running to third on a Vinnie Pasquantino double and appeared to be in a lot of pain. If he lands on the IL, then Nick Loftin will probably take over as the Royals’ primary third baseman for a spell. The Royals have Abraham Toro, Josh Rojas and Brandon Drury all stashed in Triple-A if they want to add some veteran depth.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro is shaking things up by moving Carter to the leadoff spot for the second time this season to face Rangers righty Kumar Rocker. Maikel Garcia has been moved to third in the order with Vinnie Pasquantino hitting cleanup. The 22-year-old rookie backstop has been mired in an extended tailspin at the plate, hitting .198 (19-for-96) with one homer, 11 RBI and 32 strikeouts over his last 30 games.