Royals are reassigning the prospect Bobby Witt Jr. for the minor leagues, report Ken Rosenthal and Alec Lewis of Atlético (Twitter link) He is likely to start the season at Double-A, by ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter)
This is hardly a surprise, given that Witt has not played a single game above the rookie ball since he was dropped out of high school in 2019. Some speculation has emerged that Witt might be an option for the major league after the age of 20 – very impressed during spring training. General manager Dayton Moore even left that door open earlier this week, but a mission in the secondary league has always seemed the most likely outcome.
With Adalberto Mondesi entrenched in the shortstop, any chance that Witt had to make the team probably involved moving him (or Mondesi) to second base. Instead, it looks like Kansas City will turn to Nicky Lopez and / or not on the list Hanser Alberto in the cornerstone.
Witt, the second overall choice in that 2019 draft, is universally considered by potential appraisers to be one of the sport’s top thirty farmers. He receives high praise for his power and defensive ability. If Witt performs well in the grassroots categories, he may emerge more realistically as an option for the major leagues at the end of the year. By demeaning Witt, the Royals also guarantee that he will not accumulate a full year of MLB service time in 2021, keeping him under the control of the team until at least 2027. In this case, however, there is a very justifiable field argument for keep Witt off the MLB list on Opening Day.