Royals star prospect Bobby Witt Jr. has been sent to the Minors and will begin the 2021 season there, according to a report Sunday from MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.
The team hasn’t confirmed the move.
Witt is Kansas City’s top prospect and the No. 7 overall prospect in baseball. He’s only 20 years old, but he’s been turning heads in Spring Training, and Royals general manager Dayton Moore recently said he was “open-minded” about Witt making the Opening Day roster.
In 14 games this spring, Witt is batting .289 and slugging .526 with three home runs. The Royals’ shortstop of the future even hit a monster 484-foot homer. Witt has mostly played second base when he’s started games with the Royals, although he hasn’t played a Cactus League game since Thursday.
Even before the Royals said they were being open-minded about Witt breaking camp with the big league club, the likeliest place for Witt to start the season has been Double-A, where he could play shortstop, second base and possibly even center field. The No. 2 overall Draft pick in 2019, Witt has yet to play a Minor League season above rookie ball and has played only 37 professional games in the Royals system — hitting .262 with one home run in 2019 — despite making significant strides at the alternate training site last year.
Witt, the son of former big league pitcher Bobby Witt, will still likely make his Major League debut in 2021. The most reasonable spot for him to play in Kansas City, barring any injury, will be second base, with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi as an everyday staple in the lineup. The Royals have expressed confidence in Nicky Lopez to start the season at second base to see if the 25-year-old can click at the plate.
If the Royals need to make a change, utility man Hanser Alberto is available to play second, as is Whit Merrifield. But the Royals won’t hesitate to promote Witt when he shows that he’s ready.