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Royals manager Mike Matheny said he expects Mondesi to miss "a couple weeks" with the strained right oblique that resulted in the shortstop's placement on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.

According to Matheny, Mondesi initially tweaked his oblique in his first at-bat during Monday's Cactus League game, and though he was able to remain in the game, he felt renewed pain Tuesday. The Royals thus decided to put Mondesi on the shelf to begin the season, but given the rough timeline Matheny provided, the 25-year-old appears to be dealing with a low-to-moderate grade strain. Regardless, Mondesi's absence for any length of time is a tough break for fantasy managers, who are likely counting on him to nearly single-handedly propel them to the top of the standings in the stolen-base category. Nicky Lopez is expected to serve as the Royals' primary shortstop for the duration of Mondesi's absence, with Hanser Alberto perhaps serving as a short-side platoon partner at the position.

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