Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas likely done for year with torn ACL
By Tim Haberin
Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas will reportedly miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
The Kansas City Royals have announced that third baseman Mike Moustakas has a torn ACL in his right knee. They have placed him on the 15-day disabled list and he is expected to miss the remainder of the 2016 season according to manager Ned Yost. In a corresponding move, outfielder Brett Eibner has been called up from Triple-A Omaha.
It’s another tough blow to an already disappointing campaign thus far for the defending World Series champions. Moustakas suffered the injury during last Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox when he collided with left fielder Alex Gordon while attempting to catch a foul ball.
That has proven to be a very costly play, as the club revealed a few days ago that Gordon fractured his wrist in the collision and will likely be sidelined for three to four weeks. It’s an especially frustrating development for Moustakas, who had only come off the DL the day before after missing over two weeks with a broken left thumb.
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After winning 95 games and running away with the AL Central last year, the Royals currently find themselves with a middling 24-22 record. However, they still sit only two games off the pace in the division since the White Sox have dropped 11 of their last 15 contests. Taking advantage of the opportunity may be difficult, though, with Gordon set to miss extended time and Moustakas lost for the year.
Both players, cornerstones of Kansas City’s title run of a year ago, had been largely struggling through the first two months of the 2016 season. While Gordon (who recently criticized his own poor play) owns a meager slash line of .211/.319/.331 so far on the year, Moustakas will finish the campaign with a .240/.301/.500 line to go along with seven home runs and 13 RBIs.
Last season Moustakas made a compelling case to be considered one of the top third basemen in the league, slashing .284/.348/.470 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs on the way to earning his first career All-Star nod. Though his numbers had been relatively underwhelming to this point, the Royals were counting on him to turn it around as the calendar flipped to June.
Kansas City could use that influx of offense in a big way, too. They’re currently ranked 26th in MLB with 174 runs scored and 21st with a .706 OPS. They will now need to look to other sources for production.
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As per MLB.com, Cheslor Cuthbert will likely assume starting duties at the hot corner in Moustakas’ absence. The 23-year-old sports a .237/.250/.339 line with a homer and three RBIs in 60 plate appearances.