Royals GM: We can't count on Mondesi as everyday player

Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi might be falling out of favor with the Kansas City Royals.

General manager Dayton Moore says the team can't rely on Mondesi being an everyday player over the course of a full season.

"We love Mondy to death ... when you look at Mondy, we're going to expect him to be healthy, be positive about that, but he's proven he just hasn't been able to do that," Moore said Monday on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas City.

Moore added: "We're learning we're going to have to manage his workloads in ways that he may not be a guy that plays more than 100 games a year, best-case scenario."

The 26-year-old Mondesi was expected to be a big part of the Royals' future after he received a $2-million signing bonus in 2011. He's shown flashes of success since debuting during the 2015 World Series, recording a .804 OPS (115 OPS+) with 37 RBIs and 32 steals in 75 games in 2018.

However, injuries have limited Mondesi throughout his career. He's never played more than 102 games in a single campaign and has only appeared in 10 contests this season.

"Hopefully he exceeds (100 games per year), but as somebody who's responsible for putting together a 26-man roster, we've got to look at ways to supplement and perhaps be more balanced as if he's not a part of it," Moore said.

He added: "We're certainly not going to release him, we're going to continue to stay with him, obviously, but we've got to make sure we put the roster together in ways that protect us. ... We have to be wise when we put together this roster, and we can't count on him as an everyday player."