When the Royals signed Adalberto Mondesi in 2011, they had high hopes for him in the major leagues. While Mondesi is still young and is still viewed as a long-term piece for the Royals, I believe his injury history should be a big concern for the Royals’ front office and fans. Mondesi has already been on the injured list once this season, but that doesn’t include the times he has been pulled from games early due to injury. I believe we are starting to see a trend with Mondesi. In 2020, Mondesi started the season on the injured list due to surgery on his left shoulder in 2019. His recovery time for the surgery was between five to six months long. After Mondesi returned to the field post surgery, he ended up back on the injured list on September 22 by reinjuring his shoulder. Mondesi’s shoulder injury history isn’t the only concern for me. The young shortstop suffered an oblique strain late in spring training of this year. Many of you might remember heading into the 2021 season, Mondesi was recovering from a foot injury he picked up in the early stages of spring training this year. In some ways, Mondesi reminds me of former Royals second baseman Omar Infante. During Infante’s career, he struggled to stay healthy. Unfortunately, I think Mondesi is heading down that same path. I think the Royals should think twice before giving Mondesi a long term deal. While I know the young shortstop has potential to be great, I think if his injury issues continue, the Royals should consider moving on from him and turn to top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. to take his place in the long term plan. I bet many of you might think I’m crazy for suggesting the Royals should consider moving on from Mondesi; but if you have been a fan of baseball for a long time, then you know that teams sometimes move on from players if they are not able to stay healthy, even if they have a lot of potential. I think it’s also important to point out that the Royals did recently bring back former everyday shortstop Alcides Escobar to the organization on a minor league contract. I believe the Escobar signing means that the Royals are concerned about Mondesi’s ability to stay healthy throughout the season, and Nicky Lopez’s ability to be productive at the plate.