In a 2-1 loss on Tuesday night, Royals second baseman Raul Mondesi finished 0 for 3 and struck out twice with runners on base in the late innings. On Wednesday, he was out of the lineup as the club prepared to face Giants ace Madison Bumgarner in the finale of a two-game set.
As he sat inside his office Wednesday afternoon, Royals manager Ned Yost said the two pieces of information had little connection. The club opted for Whit Merrifield, a right-handed hitter, at second base against the left-hander Bumgarner. The team also inserted right-handed hitter Cheslor Cuthbert at designated hitter.