Camila Sosa
The talent of a player like Adalberto Mondesí usually must be accompanied by a certain amount of luck to avoid injuries if he is to become a future Major League Baseball star.
Unfortunately, to the bad luck of the Californian of Dominican parents, the Kansas City Royals and baseball lovers, this has not been the case as he suffered once again a tough injury that will keep him away from the diamonds for a long time.
According to the Royals’ president of baseball operations, Dayton Morre, Adalberto Mondesí suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee on Tuesday and was immediately placed on the injured list for an indefinite period of time.
The injury occurred in the sixth chapter of Tuesday’s clash between the Royals and the Chicago White Sox. After safely reaching first base on a successful bunt and returning to first base after a subsequent swing by the Chicago pitcher, the speedy infielder left the game directly to the clubhouse with visible discomfort in his left leg.
At the time, the Royals treated the injury as a left knee ailment, while on Wednesday, after performing an MRI in Chicago, Moore, who is in town with the team, revealed to Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star that the 26-year-old suffered structural damage to the knee.
“We are just trying to process it. Obviously, Mondi is really upset and disappointed and sad. He’s hurting. He’s hurting because he wants to play. We’re hurting for him and with him. So we’re just trying to process it.”
Dayton Moore on the injury of Adalberto Mondesí
Mondesí, who prior to the injury had played all of Kansas City’s games this season, has gotten off to a slow start offensively as he hit .140/.204/.140 in 15 games, with three RBIs, five stolen bases and 20 strikeouts in 54 at-bats.
The Royals added that they will provide more detailed information in the coming days on how much time Mondesí will miss, but the odds are quite high that he will not return this season.
Adalberto Mondesí’s Neverending Injury History
At the time, Adalberto Mondesí was considered one of baseball’s top prospects because scouting reports showed a player who possessed all five tools on the field.
Possessing excellent defense and incredible speed, Mondesí was able to hit two-handed for average and power. A combination that even led Kansas City to make him the only player in MLB history to debut in a World Series by doing so in 2015.
However, injuries – and a 50-game suspension in early 2016 for the use of banned substances – rather than opposing pitchers have been the main enemy in the career of Mondesí, who in five campaigns prior to 2022 (not including the short 2020 campaign) had only seen action in more than 100 games on one occasion, playing 102 games in 2019.
An example of this was last season when he was able to play just 35 games despite coming off a short season in 2020, after suffering strains in the obliques on both sides of his body as well as a hamstring strain.
In total, Adalberto Mondesí has played 358 games for the Royals with a rather poor offensive line: .244/.280/.408 and 412 strikeouts in 1,273 at-bats. Likewise, his defense has lived up to expectations as well as his speed, leading the circuit in 2020 and accumulating a lifetime 133.
