Bobby Witt Jr. Scratched From Lineup as Royals Face Yankees

The Royals' phenom third baseman will get a day off on Sunday.

The Kansas City Royals have dropped both of their first two games against the New York Yankees and while a series tie or win are both out of the question, the team can come away with a win in the finale on Sunday if things break right. 

On Saturday night, starter Carlos Hernandez walked five batters in four innings of work. He gave up three runs in the process, which was all New York needed to come away with the win. The Royals couldn't take advantage of having any runners in scoring position all night, and they ultimately lost by a final score of 3-0. 

Sep 15, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Carlos Hernandez (43) delivers against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday, the Royals are back at Kauffman Stadium for the final of three games against the Yankees. Kansas City, 7-12 on the year, will look to steal a game from 15-6 New York. The Royals will wear their Nike City Connect jerseys once again on Sunday, then Tuesday and Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and every Friday home game thereafter.

Here's how the Royals will line up in this evening's game:

Starting Pitchers

Kansas City: LHP Daniel Lynch (2-1, 3.38 ERA)
New York: RHP Luis Severino (2-0, 3.32 ERA)

Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup

1. Nicky Lopez (L) - SS
2. Whit Merrifield (R) - 2B
3. Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
4. Salvador Perez (R) - DH
5. Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
6. Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
7. Kyle Isbel (L) - RF
8. Michael A. Taylor (R) - CF
9. Cam Gallagher (R) - C

Bobby Witt Jr. scratched from Sunday's lineup

Apr 21, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Bobby Witt Jr. (7) reacts after committing an error during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Although Royals third baseman Bobby Witt Jr. was originally listed in Sunday's lineup, he was deemed a late scratch. MLB's top prospect was hit with a pitch in Saturday's game, and the team is describing the injury as a right wrist contusion. Witt had previously played in every game this season and is currently on a nine-game hitting streak. After a rough start to the year, Witt is up to a 62 wRC+ on the season and has brought his strikeout rate down to 24.7%. He will be replaced on Sunday by Emmanuel Rivera, who was recently recalled from Triple-A Omaha.

Daniel Lynch eyes another productive outing

Apr 12, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Lynch will make his second career start against the Yankees on Sunday, and he's coming off a pair of terrific outings following a rough start to the year. On April 20 against the Minnesota Twins, Lynch went five-plus innings and allowed four hits and no runs. On the 26th in Chicago against the White Sox, the 25-year-old lefty tossed six innings of two-hit, seven-strikeout ball. Lynch has been coming into his own early in the year, and he'll look to keep that momentum going against a very potent Yankees lineup. If he can accomplish that feat, the sky may truly be the limit for what he can do in 2022 and beyond.

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