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General manager Dayton Moore acknowledged Monday that the Royals can't realistically count on Mondesi (oblique) to handle an everyday role in 2022 in light of his injury history, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Kansas City reports. "No. You can't [count on Mondesi playing every day]...We're learning that we're going to have to manage his workloads in ways that he may not be a guy that plays more than 100 games...We can't count on him as an everyday player."

Given the overwhelming positivity GMs tend to express about players like Mondesi who are viewed as cornerstone pieces for their franchises, Moore's admission is surprising, and probably a fair assessment at this stage. Residing on the injured list for the third time this season, Mondesi hasn't played since June 20 due to a left oblique strain, after he previously missed action with a right oblique strain and a left hamstring strain. Mondesi also required surgery on his left shoulder in the 2019-20 offseason, but the slew of lower-half injuries he's dealt with in 2021 are probably the greater concern for his long-term outlook, given how reliant his game is on speed. The 26-year-old is said to be progressing from his latest health-related setback, but the Royals haven't established a timeline for him to begin a rehab assignment, much less return from the 10-day IL.

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