Bobby Witt Jr. Named AL Player of the Week

The Royals shortstop takes home the coveted weekly honor for the first time in his career, joining his father, Bobby Witt Sr., and his uncle, Mike Witt, in the group of all-time winners.

May 11, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was named the American League's Player of the Week on Tuesday. This is the first time in his career that he'll take home the coveted honor.

In six games this past week, Witt batted .385 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, six runs and 1.356 OPS. Perhaps his best contest in that span came on May 21 against the Detroit Tigers when he went 3-for-4 with a stellar two home runs and six RBIs in the dominant 10-3 victory.

Witt joins his father, Bobby Sr., in this elite club, as the former pitcher won the weekly award with the Oakland Athletics on July 2, 1994. It doesn't stop there though, as Mike Witt, Jr.'s uncle and Sr.'s brother, took it home three times as a then-California Angels pitcher.

Joining Witt as the NL Player of the Week is San Diego Padres second baseman Luis Arraez,

Witt is currently either first or second on the team in every hitting category as we eclipse one-third of the regular season. He is also top-10 among all ball clubs in hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases, SLG and OPS.

The 23-year-old has helped lead Kansas City to a very solid 34-21 record as the Royals currently sit at the No. 2 spot in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. This is already a remarkable improvement from last season, as Kansas City finished with the second-worst record (56-106) in all of baseball.

Although they've lost their last two games, Kansas City was previously riding an 8-game winning streak, which was tied for the longest active streak with Cleveland.

The Royals will continue their second game of the road series against the Minnesota Twins at 6:40 p.m. CT tonight. Cole Ragan (4-3, 3.34 ERA) is expected to take the mound for Kansas City, while Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 2.57 ERA) will likely do the same for Minnesota. You can watch the game on Bally Sports or MLB.TV (blackouts may apply depending on location).