The Kansas City Royals walked away with a heart-breaking loss against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Brooks Lee walked the Royals off with an RBI single to secure a 5-4 win for the Twins. However, Saturday's game did have a silver lining for Bobby Witt Jr.. The Royals star has impressed this season as he tries to lead his team to back-to-back playoff berths.
The 24-year-old shortstop stole two bases in the ninth inning, vaulting him back into the league-lead in stolen bags.
Bobby Witt Jr. swiped two bags in the 9th inning to take the league lead in stolen bases (19) 💨 pic.twitter.com/zmx7PmbGQt
— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2025
Witt Jr.'s two stolen bases in the ninth inning brought his season total to 19. He jumped back ahead of Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz.
Witt Jr.'s higher steal count shows that he is playing with much more aggression on the base paths. He is by far the most opportunistic runner the Royals have; Maikel Garcia is second on the team in stolen bases at 10. Unfortunately, his effort at the end of the game wasn't enough to propel his team to a win.
Witt Jr., Robert Jr., and Cruz, along with Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz embody a new age in Major League Baseball. Ever since the league made the bases bigger and limited the number of times pitcher have to throw base runners out, steals have been up. De La Cruz finished with 67 stolen bags just one year after Ronald Acuna Jr. swiped 73 for Atlanta.
Witt Jr. will be hard-pressed to maintain his lead, but he might need to stay aggressive to help his team. His team is three games above .500, but find themselves in fourth place in the American League Central. Kansas City has had their moments, but inconsistency has bothered them this season. Losing to a division rival like Minnesota hurts, but the Royals are still within striking distance of the division lead.
There are only so many playoff spots available in the AL. Winning their division is the easiest path to the postseason for most teams these days. However, Witt Jr. has the talent to guide Kansas City to a wild card spot if they are unable to track the Detroit Tigers down.