The Kansas City Royals had star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. back in the lineup Monday for a homestand-opening clash with the Washington Nationals after Witt sat out Sunday with back stiffness.

The Royals also placed right-handed pitcher Hunter Harvey on the 15-day injured list with a right adductor strain while recalling right-hander Luinder Avila from Triple-A Omaha.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters that Witt was “much better than we could have hoped for” in the leadup to Monday’s game.

Witt, 25, last played Saturday against the Minnesota Twins and only missed one game with his ailment. He’s batting .284 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs through 116 games this year.

In 2024, he was the runner-up for American League Most Valuable Player after leading the majors with a .332 batting average and recording 32 home runs and 109 RBIs. He missed just one out of 162 games last year.

Harvey, 30, most recently pitched an inning of relief Saturday in Kansas City’s 2-0 shutout of Minnesota. Acquired from Washington last season, he has appeared in just 12 games for the Royals in 2025 and was on the IL from early April to late July with a right teres major strain.

He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts against just one walk in 10 2/3 innings of work this year.

Avila, 23, has yet to make his major league debut. In 13 games (12 starts) this year between High-A Quad Cities and Omaha, Avila has gone 2-2 with a 4.47 ERA.

The Royals (58-60) will play three games against the Nationals, three against the Chicago White Sox and four against the Texas Rangers in their season-high 10-game homestand.

–Field Level Media