Kansas City Royals’ Adalberto Mondesi goes yard in first at-bat since return from IL

It only took three swings against Detroit’s Tarik Skubal for shortstop Adalberto Mondesi to show what the Kansas City Royals have been missing in their lineup for 59 games this season.

The count was 1-2 with no outs in the bottom of the second inning, and it looked like Skubal might send Mondesi back to the dugout in his first at-bat since being activated from the injured list. But on the fourth pitch, a fastball down the middle, Mondesi’s bat sent a crack echoing through Kauffman Stadium as his third homer of the year sailed 445 feet into left-center field.

“Unbelievable right, first time he steps in the box to see that,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Then just the instincts, the athleticism with the play up the middle where he makes the attempted tag to force the runner out of the baseline… he was moving good, it was just an exceptional first day back, he’s a rare talent — he’s the kind of talent that can change the game.”

It was the shortstop’s presence on defense that made It difficult for base runners and kept the Tigers’ offense at bay for the first seven innings. He had a solid outing on the field, including great double play to end the fourth, forcing Niko Goodrum around him on his way to second to get the tag and then throwing Harold Castro out at first.

He nearly had a similar tag out earlier in the game, but the call was safe. Mondesi said after the game that he got a bit of the runner’s jersey, but it was too close to make the call.

Despite Mondesi’s homer and a late offensive effort in the ninth, the Royals couldn’t rally against the Detroit Tigers and lost their sixth straight game, 6-5, on Wednesday afternoon.

Mondesi proved in the loss though that he hasn’t missed a beat; this was second game in a row with a homer, even though almost two weeks on the IL separates them.

“It feels great, started where I ended on my last game and it feels good,” Mondesi said. “The only thing is we want to win games… I’m just trying to get better and work and be back as soon as possible and it’s tough when you think everything’s going the right way and things happen, you just try to stay positive.”

It’s injuries that have kept Mondesi from becoming the game-changer he’s shown glimpses of throughout his five-year career. In the shortened 2020 season, he batted .256 through 59 games with six home runs and 22 RBIs. In 2019 he played 102 games — the only season he’s played 100 games — and he batted .263 with nine home runs and 62 RBIs.

The 25-year-old missed the first 45 games of the season because of strained right oblique, and seven games after his return he was sent back to the IL on June 4 because of a left hamstring strain. After Wednesday’s game, Mondesi said he’s still being smart with how he’s playing even though he’s back in the lineup.

“I feel good, but I know I need to be smart,” Mondesi said. “(The) first game back I don’t want to be doing everything 100%, so we’ll see how it feels coming back and playing and go from there.”

In Mondesi’s first return from the IL, he went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles in the Royals’ win over Tampa Bay on May 25. The seven games he started before getting hurt again, he batted .360 with two homers and nine hits. Though it’s a small sample size, Mondesi clearly has not wasted his chances.

However, Mondesi is still not the single savior of the struggling Royals offense that hit 12 for 77 with runners in scoring position the 11 games before Wednesday. He didn’t have a hit his three other at bats, though the Royals did show signs of life at the plate in the ninth inning, scoring two late runs. But it wasn’t enough to avoid the loss that completed the series sweep, which was the first time the Tigers had swept the Royals at home since May 2014.