MLB Summer Camp 2020: Latest Injury News on Adalberto Mondesi, Brandon Morrow

The 

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Kansas City Royals have not had much to cheer about since winning the World Series in 2015.

Former franchise staples like Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer are long gone, and a pitching staff once defined by a dominant bullpen has since fallen apart.

But while team success has been hard to come by, there are still some noteworthy happenings in Kansas City. Whit Merrifield has led MLB in hits in each of the past two seasons, and last season Jorge Soler clubbed a franchise-record 48 homers, the third-highest mark behind New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso and Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

However, perhaps no player is quite as exciting as Adalberto Mondesi.

The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in the 2015 World Series, and eventually became the Royals' starting shortstop during the 2018 season. Mondesi is still young, and he has the makings of a franchise centerpiece. But he has also dealt with injuries, having undergone shoulder surgery last fall.

Mondesi was scheduled to make his return in spring training the same day proceedings were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, he has had an extra three months to get his surgically-repaired left shoulder fully healed. Mondesi told MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan he has "no restrictions" in terms of movement in his shoulder.

Mondesi also told Flanagan he faced some live pitching while rehabbing in the Dominican Republic, but mostly tried to keep a low profile and ensure he would be healthy:

"I just stayed working back home. I wanted to stay with my timing and all the regular stuff. Make sure it's good when I got back here.

"I faced a couple of pitchers back [in the DR]. But they said I should stay away from guys and stay safe with all that's going on. But I got to face a few guys. That helped."

The Royals will be hoping Mondesi can take the next step in his development, albeit over the course of a shortened season.

Mondesi looked like a future star in 2018, hitting 14 homers and stealing an astonishing 32 bases in just 75 games. But he took a step back last year, as Mondesi' OPS fell 89 points while the OPS+ (adjusted for each player's home ballpark) fell by 29 points. The thievery was still present, however, as Mondesi swiped 43 bags.

It will be interesting to see whether Mondesi develops more discipline. His swing rate soared to 57.4 percent last year, per FanGraphs, and his strikeout rate also climbed closer to 30 percent.

Mondesi is a terror on the bases, and he is also an elite defender at the shortstop position. Taking a more disciplined approach at the plate and drawing more walks might make all the difference in Mondesi becoming one of the top players in baseball.

Brandon Morrow has 'Minor Nerve Procedure'

Right-handed reliever Brandon Morrow's tenure with the Chicago Cubs was anything but pleasant.

The Cubs released Morrow on Wednesday after the 35-year-old reportedly had a "minor nerve procedure," per MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Although Heyman added Morrow still intends to to pitch in the future, he might have a tough time earning a roster spot.

Morrow has not pitched since before the All-Star break in 2018. He missed the remainder of that campaign due to right biceps inflammation, and subsequently underwent elbow surgery in December of the same year.

The Cubs initially believed Morrow would make his return within the first few months of the 2019 season, but he experienced setbacks in his rehab process, eventually leading to a total shutdown in August.

Still, Chicago kept the faith. The Cubs inked Morrow to a minor league deal this past winter in what seemed like a low-risk, high-reward play. After all, Morrow had been dominant when healthy, pitching to the tune of a 1.47 ERA in over 30 innings of work in 2018.

Still, the injuries kept coming. Morrow was invited to spring training, but promptly dealt with a chest strain and later a mild calf tear. There had been very little new with respect to his status prior to Chicago's decision to release him, which tends to be an indicator of limited progress. Or, in Morrow's case, yet another injury.

Things appear bleak for the former Cal-Berkeley star. His body has been put through the wringer in recent years, not to mention the history of bicep issues.

Morrow looked like a power bullpen arm after his standout campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017. Three years later, he might be on the fringes of retirement.

All stats obtained via Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted.