KANSAS CITY -- A day after exiting Wednesday’s game against the Mariners with left hamstring discomfort, Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel was placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of Thursday’s series finale with a left hamstring strain, effectively ending his 2025 season with just over a week remaining on the schedule.
In a corresponding move, the Royals recalled outfielder John Rave from Triple-A Omaha, giving them another center field option behind Mike Yastrzemski and Tyler Tolbert in Isbel’s absence.
Isbel grounded out to first base to end the bottom of the second inning on Wednesday, but as he was running to first, he pulled up short and limped for the next few steps. When the Royals ran out to the field to begin the third inning, Tolbert took Isbel’s spot in center field.
Isbel underwent an MRI exam on Thursday morning to determine the severity of the strain, but it’s very likely his season is over, given that there are only 11 days left on the regular-season schedule (and 10 Royals games, including Thursday).
“With the position that Izzy plays and the type of player he is, he has to be able to go full speed,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He was not going to be able to do that, whether this was May or September.”
Isbel, 28, has been Kansas City’s everyday center fielder for the past two-plus seasons and has been one of the Majors’ best defenders, entering Wednesday with +12 outs above average, which ranked sixth best among MLB center fielders. The jumps Isbel gets and routes he takes allows him to cover a ton of ground in a vast Kauffman Stadium outfield, with reliability and toughness that doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates, especially the pitching staff.
Isbel has been a steady presence at the bottom of the Royals’ order, too, slashing .255/.301/.353.
Isbel has a history of soft-tissue injuries, which is why the Royals monitor his workload in center field. He spent time on the injured list with a left hamstring strain in 2023 but was able to stay healthy in ‘24 and for the majority of this season until this current injury.