Bobby Witt Jr. Fantasy Stats

The Kansas City Royals announced on Tuesday that they reinstated shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) from the 10-day injured list. The Royals haven't released their starting lineup for Tuesday's tilt at home against the division-rival Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan, but Witt should be back in there after a two-week absence due to tightness in his lower back. The 26-year-old three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner should be returned to all starting fantasy lineups this week, even though he's coming off a rough month of July in which his performance suffered at the plate while he battled injuries. Witt hit just .196 (11-for-56) with a .536 OPS, one homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases in 14 games last month, but he should be primed to bounce back the rest of the way as long as he's 100% healthy. The five-category contributor is returning to a .279/.350/.450 slash line with an even .800 OPS, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 51 runs scored in his 369 at-bats in 2026.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) is expected to go through another full workout on Saturday, and he is on track to return from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday to take on the division-rival Minnesota Twins at home at Kauffman Stadium, according to Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star. Witt has been sidelined since July 22 with back soreness, but he has been recovering nicely and will return to the Royals without going on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 26-year-old three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner should be plugged back into all starting lineups in traditional leagues right away next week. Witt will be returning to a .279/.350/.450 slash line with an .800 OPS, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 51 runs scored in his 369 at-bats in 2026. July was by far Witt's worst month of the season, as he hit just .196 (11-for-56) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, two steals, four walks, and 13 strikeouts in 14 games played. The former second overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft still has plenty of time to be a difference-maker down the stretch for fantasy managers as a five-category contributor.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) started to ramp up his baseball activities on Wednesday. The team plans to see how he feels over the next few days before they decide what to do next. Witt has been on the Injured List since July 22 due to lower back tightness. The Royals are hopeful this is a short injury stint and that Witt can return when first eligible on Friday. This season, Witt is slashing .279/.350/.4550 with 13 home runs, 39 RBI, and 30 stolen bases. Tyler Tolbert figures to continue filling in at shortstop until Witt is ready to return.

The Kansas City Royals announced on Wednesday that they placed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) on the 10-day injured list with lower-back tightness and selected the contract of infielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Velazquez is starting at shortstop and batting ninth on Wednesday against San Francisco Giants right-hander Landen Roupp, but both Tyler Tolbert and Nick Loftin could fill in at the 6 in KC for however long Witt is sidelined. This will be the first time in Witt's career that he has landed on the IL. He was originally held out of Sunday's series finale against the San Diego Padres with back tightness before returning for Monday's series opener against the Giants, only to be pulled mid-game with more back tightness. It doesn't sound like the Royals are very concerned, though, which means Witt could be back when his 10 days on the IL are up. It could help explain why the three-time All-Star has hit only .196 (11-for-56) with a .536 OPS, one homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs, two steals, four walks, and 13 strikeouts in 14 games in the month of July. Witt is a must-hold in all fantasy leagues while he recovers.

After back tightness forced Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) from Monday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants, he is out of the starting lineup for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, per MLB.com. Tyler Tolbert will make the start at the 6 and will bat ninth against Giants right-hander Tyler Mahle. The Royals also held Witt out of Sunday's series finale against the San Diego Padres due to lower-back tightness, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's sitting on Tuesday after a setback on Monday. We will consider the three-time All-Star as day-to-day for now, but this could develop into an injured list stint if he doesn't recover quickly. Witt is typically a must-start in all fantasy leagues as one of the top shortstops in the league, but he hasn't been himself in July, hitting .196 (11-for-56) with a .536 OPS, a homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, two steals, four walks, and 13 strikeouts in 14 games played. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Wednesday to see if Witt can return to action for Wednesday's series finale against the Gigantes. UPDATE: Manager Matt Quatraro said Witt's back is still pretty stiff, per The Kansas City Star's Jaylon T. Thompson.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) was forced to leave Monday's game early against the San Francisco Giants with more tightness in his lower back, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Before being replaced at the 6 by Nick Loftin, Witt went 0-for-1 at the plate with a walk and a strikeout. The Royals held Witt out of Sunday's series finale against the San Diego Padres due to back tightness, but he was included in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against SF. After being pulled early with the same issue, the 26-year-old three-time All-Star could be headed for a stint on the injured list. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Tuesday for an update on his condition. If Witt is forced to miss more time going forward with his back injury, Loftin and Tyler Tolbert would both be candidates to see more playing time at shortstop going forward for KC. Witt is one of the top offensive players, regardless of position, in all of baseball, but he came into Monday's contest hitting just .200 (11-for-55) with a .532 OPS, one homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs, two steals, three walks, and 12 K's in 13 games so far in July.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) is starting at the 6 and will hit second in Monday's series opener against the visiting San Francisco Giants and right-hander Trevor McDonald, according to MLB.com. The Royals held Witt out of Sunday's series finale against the San Diego Padres as a precaution due to back tightness that he's experienced of late, but he will end up missing just one game. The 26-year-old former second overall pick in 2019 has not been himself so far in July, but he's still a must-start in traditional fantasy leagues now that he's back in action to start a new week. Overall, the three-time All-Star is hitting .280/.350/.451 with an .801 OPS, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 30 stolen bases, and 51 runs scored across his 368 at-bats, but he's hitting just .200 (11-for-55) with a .532 OPS, one homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, two steals, three walks, and 12 strikeouts in 13 games so far in July. Witt has never faced McDonald in his MLB career.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale versus the visiting San Diego Padres due to back tightness, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Manager Matt Quatraro said it progressed during Saturday's win, and the Royals wanted to be cautious with the All-Star shortstop on Sunday. With Witt out, Tyler Tolbert will handle shortstop duties and will bat eighth against Padres right-hander German Marquez. The Royals rightfully aren't going to take any chances with one of the best all-around players in the league. Fantasy managers will need to check back to see if the 26-year-old three-time All-Star can play in Monday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants. For now, we'll consider him day-to-day. Witt went hitless in nine plate appearances in the first two games of the series against SD and is batting just .200 (11-for-55) with a .532 OPS, a homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs, two steals, three walks, and 12 K's in 13 games in July to drop his overall line to .280/.350/.451 on the season with an .801 OPS. Witt might be a little banged up, but he's a must-start when he's active in most fantasy leagues.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. put forth his best effort on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, but it was not enough in the team's 10-4 loss. Witt went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI to boost his season average to .294 and his OPS to .846. The 26-year-old former second overall pick in 2019 finished June with only three long balls, but he came into Tuesday's contest hitting .293 (22-for-75) during the month with a homer, five doubles, seven RBI, 11 stolen bases, and 14 runs scored in 20 games and 90 plate appearances. He also entered Tuesday's clash against Tampa with a strong .288/.363/.456 slash line with an .819 OPS, 10 homers, 33 RBI, 28 steals, and 42 runs scored in 309 at-bats in 2026 in his fifth year in the big leagues. The two-time All-Star is one of the best and most consistent five-category producers in fantasy at the premier position of shortstop. Witt is a must-start in fantasy lineups every day he's in the starting lineup.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (knee) is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second for the Royals in Friday's series opener on the road against the division-rival Chicago White Sox, per MLB.com. Josh Rojas will start at shortstop and bat seventh. While Witt isn't all the way back from a sprained MCL in his knee, he will make his first start since June 18. Even at less than 100%, Witt is better than most players in the league, and he'll return on Friday to a .294/.368/.465 slash line, .833 OPS, 10 home runs, 32 RBI, a league-leading 28 stolen bases, 40 runs scored, and a league-leading 4.3 WAR in 76 games across 337 plate appearances. Fantasy managers will be hoping that Witt's little injury layoff in the last week won't slow him down. In 17 games so far in June, he has gone 21-for-65 (.323) with a homer, four doubles, six RBI, 11 stolen bases, and 12 runs scored in 77 plate appearances. Even as the DH, Witt needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups on Friday in traditional formats. If he doesn't suffer a setback with his knee on Friday, expect him to return to the 6 on either Saturday or Sunday.