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Mike Matheny Responds to Royals Placing 10 Players on Restricted List

By Isaiah De Los Santos

Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny gave his thoughts on his team losing 10 players to the restricted list.
Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny gave his thoughts on his team losing 10 players to the restricted list. / (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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The Kansas City Royals dominated headlines Wednesday when it was revealed 10 players would miss the team's trip to Toronto due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19. Now this last-place AL Central club will have to suit up without almost half of its 26-man active roster, including lone 2022 All-Star Andrew Benintendi.

Royals manager Mike Matheny has weighed in on the situation as he prepares for the tough task ahead of him.

Matheny didn't show any obvious frustrations, highlighting vaccination is an "individual choice." He then took an optimistic approach to the situation, saying he's "looking forward" to other players stepping up with the opportunity that's opened up for them.

"Do we want our Major League team on the field? The answer is yes. But right now, this is the situation that we’re in, and we’re looking forward to somebody else stepping in and making most of the opportunity."

- Mike Matheny

This can't be an easy situation for any manager, though Matheny sounds ready to lead his team through this challenge.

Kansas City's roster was already decimated by injuries, with catcher Salvador Perez and second baseman Whit Merrifield out due to thumb and toe issues, respectively. This leaves the club even more short-handed as they prepare to take on the currently playoff-bound Blue Jays for a four-game tilt starting Thursday.

The undermanned Royals are a massive +300 underdog to defeat Toronto (-375) in the first game of the series, according to MLB odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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