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Maikel Garcia Still Out on Friday, Injured-List Stint Coming?
Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Maikel Garcia (hand) is out of the team's starting lineup again on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, per MLB.com. Garcia's injury (just soreness) to his right hand doesn't seem serious, but this is the third straight game that he will be missing after he left early on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals. For now, he's being considered day-to-day with something that he has battled over the last month. If he cannot return to action at some point this weekend (the Royals have an off day on Sunday), it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land on the injured list next week. Nick Loftin is starting at third base again on Friday and is batting sixth versus Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy. The 26-year-old Garcia is primarily valuable in all fantasy leagues for his speed and multi-position eligibility (second base, third base, shortstop, and the outfield). He enters Friday's action with a .266/.326/.378 slash line, .705 OPS, only three home runs, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored, and five stolen bases in his 259 at-bats.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Remains Out of Action With Hand Injury
Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Maikel Garcia (hand) remains sidelined for Thursday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make another start at the hot corner for KC and will bat seventh against Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Garcia is dealing with soreness in his left hand and will miss a second straight game. It's an injury that he has been dealing with for a while now, and it's unclear if it's serious enough to land him on the injured list. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if Garcia is back in action. The 26-year-old Venezuelan has hit .257 (9-for-35) in 11 games in June with a double, a triple, nine RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base through 39 plate appearances. Garcia is rostered in most fantasy leagues because of his ability to contribute across all categories, although his counting stats have been lacking a bit so far in 2026. He enters Thursday's game with a .266/.326/.378 slash line, .705 OPS, only three home runs, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored, and five steals in his 259 at-bats for the Royals.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Sitting Out With Hand Injury on Wednesday
Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Maikel Garcia (hand) is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's contest on the road in Washington against the Nationals, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin is starting at third base and will bat eighth for KC against Nationals right-hander Zack Littell. It's not a huge surprise that Garcia isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game after he was pulled early on Tuesday with left-hand soreness. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old day-to-day until we know more about his condition. His next chance to suit up will come on Thursday in the series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Garcia, who has eligibility at second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield in Yahoo leagues, has been underwhelming so far in 2026 and is currently hitting .259 (9-for-35) with a double, a triple, nine RBI, four runs scored, one steal, four walks, and nine strikeouts in 11 games in June. He's mostly valuable in fantasy for his positional versatility and his speed (he's stolen at least 23 bases in each of the last three years).
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Leaves on Tuesday With Apparent Hand Injury
Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Maikel Garcia (hand) was forced from Tuesday's game early against the Washington Nationals with an apparent hand injury, according to Royals announcer Joel Goldberg. Before being pinch-hit for by Isaac Collins, Garcia went 0-for-1 at the plate with a walk. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Garcia's condition and the severity of his injury, either later on Tuesday night or on Wednesday morning. The 26-year-old Venezuelan has mostly been a disappointment in 2025 in his fifth year in the big leagues, as he came into Tuesday's contest with a .267/.325/.380 slash line, .705 OPS, only three home runs, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 66 games and 283 plate appearances. Garcia had a career year in 2025 with a .286/.351/.449 slash line, .800 OPS, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 23 stolen bases, and 81 runs scored across 160 games. With eligibility at second base, third base, shortstop, and the outfield, as well as at least 23 stolen bases in each of the last three seasons, Garcia is universally rostered in almost all of fantasy leagues.
Source: Joel Goldberg
Source: Joel Goldberg
Maikel Garcia Back From Hamstring Injury to Face the Twins
Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia (hamstring) is serving as the designated hitter and will bat cleanup for the Royals in Saturday's contest against the division-rival Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan at Target Field, per MLB.com. Josh Rojas is starting at third base. Garcia is returning from a right-hamstring strain that kept him out of each of the team's last six games, although he did enter as a pinch-hitter in both of the last two games. Now that he's back in KC's starting nine, fantasy managers will want to get him back in there on Saturday against Ryan, whom he's hit .313 against in his career with an .833 OPS, a home run, and three RBI in 16 at-bats. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder will return to a .267/.327/.382 slash line, .709 OPS, three home runs, 22 RBI, 28 runs scored, and four stolen bases in his 225 at-bats in 2026. In 15 games since May 16, Garcia has gone 15-for-55 (.273) with three doubles, four RBI, and four runs scored.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Sitting Out for Sixth Straight Game on Friday
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (hamstring) is sitting out for a sixth straight game on Friday in Minnesota against the division-rival Twins, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make another start at the hot corner for the Royals and will hit eighth against Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews. Garcia entered Thursday's series opener against the Twins as a pinch-hitter, though, so it would not be a surprise to see him return to action for the third game of the series at Target Field on Saturday. After being named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2025, the 26-year-old Venezuelan third baseman has underwhelmed in 2026, hitting .268 (60-for-224) with three home runs, 21 RBI, 28 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 57 games and 247 plate appearances. He was beginning to heat up before his hamstring injury, though, going 11-for-32 (.344) with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored in nine games since May 22.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Royals Hope Maikel Garcia Will Return This Weekend
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that third baseman Maikel Garcia (hamstring) will be available off the bench in Thursday's series opener versus the division-rival Minnesota Twins, and he hopes that Garcia will be able to return in Minnesota this weekend, according to Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg. The 26-year-old will miss a fifth straight game on Thursday due to a right-hamstring injury, but it looks like he will avoid a trip to the injured list. Nick Loftin has been making starts at the hot corner in place of Garcia, and he should do so again in the series opener at Target Field on Thursday night against Twins right-hander Andrew Morris. Garcia has only gone deep three times so far in 2026 and has not homered since April 30. The Venezuelan third baseman was a first-time All-Star in 2025, but he has so far disappointed fantasy managers in his fifth year in the majors, slashing .268/.325/.384 with a .709 OPS, 21 RBI, 28 runs scored, and only four stolen bases across 56 games played.
Source: Joel Goldberg
Source: Joel Goldberg
Maikel Garcia Remains Sidelined With Hamstring Injury on Wednesday
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (hamstring) is missing another game on Wednesday in Cincinnati against the Reds, per MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make another start at the hot corner and will bat eighth for the Royals against Reds right-hander Chase Burns. Garcia will miss a fourth straight game with a right-hamstring injury, and if he misses any more time going into the latter part of the week, the Royals could be forced to send him to the 10-day injured list. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder is currently hitting .268/.325/.384 on the season with a .709 OPS, only three home runs, 21 RBI, 28 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 224 at-bats across 56 games in his fifth year in the big leagues. Garcia was a first-time All-Star in 2025, when he set career highs in homers (16) and RBI (74) while also adding 23 stolen bases and 81 runs scored in 160 games played. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Thursday to see if he's available to face the division-rival Minnesota Twins for the series opener on the road.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Still Bothered by Hamstring Injury
Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Maikel Garcia (hamstring) remains sidelined for Tuesday's contest on the road in Cincinnati against the Reds, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin is making the start at the hot corner for KC and will bat sixth against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. Garcia is dealing with a strained right hamstring and will be missing his third straight game. Fantasy managers will want to check back in on Wednesday to see if he's feeling good enough to return to action. If Garcia cannot get back into the starting nine by the end of the week, it's a good bet that he'll be placed on the 10-day injured list. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder hasn't shown much power in 2026 after clubbing a career-best 16 round-trippers in 160 games in 2025 in his first All-Star season. So far, Garcia is batting .268 (60-for-224) with only three homers, 21 RBI, 28 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 56 games. His power/speed upside remains intriguing in all fantasy formats, though, so Garcia should be stashed everywhere if he does go on the IL. He's rostered in over 90% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Maikel Garcia Leaves Early with Hamstring Injury
Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (hamstring) was removed early during Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Garcia suffered a right hamstring strain while running from first to third base during the seventh inning. He was removed from the contest and replaced by Nick Loftin. Before exiting, Garcia was 1-for-4 at the plate with a single and one RBI. The severity of the injury is unknown right now, but Garcia will likely end up on the Injured List. If that happens, Nick Loftin could see an extended look at third base for a few weeks. Also, Abraham Toro, Brandon Drury, and Josh Rojas are candidates to be called up to take his spot on the active roster. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on Garcia.
Source: Anne Rogers
Source: Anne Rogers
