Report: Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Avoided Fractured Arm After HBP, Return TBD amid Injury

Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. reportedly avoided a major injury when he took a 96 mph fastball to the forearm on Wednesday.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Witt does not have any broken bones in his left forearm, though it's unclear when he'll be back on the field. Passan added that Witt is "expected to avoid a long absence."

The Royals confirmed that Witt has a left forearm contusion and his x-rays came back negative for a fracture. He will be reevaluated on Thursday.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Witt told him "that he just lost feeling in his fingers, but he said it was coming back," per MLB.com's Anne Rogers.

The pitch came from Seattle Mariners reliever Andrés Muñoz in the fifth inning of Wednesday's spring training game. Witt fell to the ground and returned to the dugout before leaving for the clubhouse.

Witt, gearing up for his fourth MLB season, hit .332 with 32 homers and 109 RBI in 161 games last season, finishing second in AL MVP voting behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge. Witt also stole 31 bases and earned his first All-Star nod.

Behind Witt's outstanding season, Kansas City finished the regular season 86-76 before reaching the postseason for the first time since 2015 when it won the World Series. The Royals advanced past the Baltimore Orioles in the wild card series before falling to the Yankees in the ALDS.

The good news for the Royals is that Witt will seemingly be back on the field sooner rather than later, tough an official timeline for his recovery likely won't be known until he undergoes further testing.

Kansas City opens its season against the Cleveland Guardians on March 27.