The Kansas City Royals have struggled to begin the 2026 MLB season, and things got even worse on Tuesday. The team announced that infielder Jonathan India will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing labral repair surgery on Tuesday.
India, 29, played in 17 games before landing on the injured list this season. It was initially uncertain how much time he would end up missing, but now he is not expected to play for the remainder of the 2026 campaign.
India hit .167/.310/.313 across 17 games played this season. Although his numbers were underwhelming, the Royals are still going to miss the infielder's presence in the lineup. He is a former Rookie of the Year Award winner who has a proven track record at the MLB level.
The Royals will need their depth to step up amid India's injury absence. Players such as Michael Massey and Nick Loftin should be able to help matters at second base for now.
Kansas City is just 11-17 at the moment. If they continue to struggle, then perhaps the Royals will not look to make any upgrades at second base this year. If the Royals are able to begin winning ball games on a consistent basis, however, then perhaps they will try to trade for another infielder at the deadline.
It will be interesting to see what approach they take. Regardless, India's injury absence is unquestionably far from ideal for the Royals.
Updates on Jonathan India's injury status will be monitored and provided as they are made available. It is worth noting that India is in the final season of his current contract with the Royals.
The Royals are currently in Sacramento to play the Athletics. They are playing the first of a three-game series on Tuesday night. It is also the first matchup of a six-game road trip for Kansas City. Following the Athletics series, the Royals will play the Mariners in Seattle for three contests.
It will be a challenging west coast road trip. Kansas City has momentum after sweeping the Los Angeles Angels at home this past weekend, though. They will attempt to bring that momentum into Tuesday night's game against an Athletics team that has performed well this season.
It projects to be a competitive series as the Royals look to climb closer to the .500 mark.