Royals Lose Jonathan India for the Season Due to Labral Repair Surgery

After he was placed on the 10-Day IL on April 20th due to a left shoulder subluxation, the Royals announced today on social media that Jonathan India underwent labral repair surgery and would be out for the season as a result.

This likely ends a tumultuous tenure for the former Cincinnati Red, who came over last offseason from Cincinnati with outfielder Joey Wiemer in exchange for pitcher Brady Singer.

In 136 games and 567 plate appearances last season, he hit .233 with an 89 wRC+ and a -0.3 fWAR. He got off to another slow start this year, though he did walk more (13.8% BB% this year to 9.5% last year) and hit for more power (.146 ISO this year to .113 ISO last year). However, in 58 plate appearances, he hit .167 with a 79 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR. 

India entered his last year of arbitration this offseason, and the Royals opted to bring him back on a one-year, $8 million deal, hoping that he would bounce back with a clearer role, especially defensively (i.e., no moving around positions). Unfortunately, India didn't get much of a chance to show he was capable of returning to his Cincinnati form, as his season ended after just 17 games this season.

The 29-year-old will be a free agent this offseason, and it's unlikely that Kansas City will offer him a contract. 

The loss of India likely means that Michael Massey and Nick Loftin will get most of the innings at second base this year. Shelley Stonebrook talked about Massey making the most of his opportunity in a post today on Royals Keep, and after India's surgery, it's likely Massey becomes the regular second baseman in Kansas City for the remainder of the season.

Massey has an 87 wRC+ in 47 plate appearances, and Loftin has a 127 wRC+ in 30 plate appearances. That said, Massey is hitting .292 with 122 wRC+ in his last 26 plate appearances, and Loftin is hitting .333 with a 136 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. The left-handed Massey and right-handed Loftin can platoon together at the keystone position, while also carrying versatility to play left field when needed.

If Massey or Loftin gets hurt (both guys have a checkered injury history), the Royals could opt to replace India's spot on the roster with Josh Rojas, who's currently in Triple-A Omaha.

Rojas has cooled off after a slow start, hitting .244 with an 84 wRC+ in 85 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers. While he doesn't hit the ball hard, Rojas has shown excellent plate discipline in Omaha, as illustrated by his TJ Stats Statcast summary in Triple-A.

If the Royals opt not to bring up Rojas, they can utilize India's roster spot for a free-agent or trade acquisition without having to designate anyone for assignment, due to the ability to add him to the 60-Day IL. It's likely that the Royals will wait to add India to the 60-day IL in order to ensure they have the right candidate to replace him on the 40-man roster.