SEATTLE -- A dose of bad luck has put Michael Massey’s rehab on hold -- and has nothing to do with his original injury.
The infielder, who has been on the injured list since June 10 (retroactive to June 8) with a sprained left ankle, was officially returned from his rehab assignment Thursday, ahead of the Royals’ 3-2 win in the finale against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, thanks to a combination of a right wrist injury and an illness.
“The combination of those things, he’s not going to be able to play today and possibly tomorrow,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “Then those days are ticking off his 20-day rehab, and he’s only played a couple games.”
Massey was hit in the wrist in the first inning of his fifth rehab appearance with Triple-A Omaha on Sunday and exited the game. After the Storm Chasers’ off-day Monday, he was slated to return to action Tuesday, only to be taken out of the starting lineup just before first pitch.
Wednesday, ahead of the Royals’ loss to the Mariners, Quatraro said that Massey was still feeling lingering effects in his hand and would be out for Omaha’s day game in Indianapolis. Then on Thursday, Massey woke up feeling sick -- to go along with the wrist issue -- and the club officially returned him from the rehab assignment, allowing him to return to Kansas City for further evaluation.
As importantly, it allowed the Royals to put a pause on Massey’s rehab assignment. Position players are allowed a maximum of 20 days on rehab assignments, putting Massey’s original deadline at July 14. That’s the first day of the All-Star break, which would have lessened the amount of games Massey could play before his assignment expired from the other end.
“Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to progress,” Quatraro said.
If the Royals wait five days from Wednesday -- when they notified the Commissioner’s Office of the move -- to send Massey on another rehab assignment, his clock will reset, giving him another 20 days.
Massey started 35 of the Royals’ first 45 games at second base and also made four starts in left field, but began dealing with an ankle issue as the calendar flipped from May to June. He started Kansas City’s June 7 game as the designated hitter but was pulled after seven innings, and was placed on the injured list three days later.
The 27-year-old, who hit .259 in 100 games in 2024 with 14 home runs and 17 doubles, was off to a slow start this season, with a .202/.221/.258 slash line in 209 plate appearances, good for an OPS+ of 35 (league average is 100). His contact rates are still well above average -- with a 15.3 percent strikeout rate that puts him in the 84th percentile of qualified hitters -- but his barrel rate has fallen by more than half and his hard-hit rate has also dropped, leaving him with a -20 batting run value and a .243 xwOBA.
In his absence, Jonathan India -- who split time between third base and left field to begin the season -- has made 21 starts at second.
Maikel Garcia and Nick Loftin have also started at second this season. As a group, Kansas City’s second basemen have combined for a .568 OPS that ranks second-to-last in the league, with a .223 batting average and a .264 on-base percentage.