Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. reacted to the team being booed at home, admitting that “it sucks.”
The Royals lost their eighth game in a row on Monday night when they were defeated 7-5 at home by the Baltimore Orioles in extra innings. The Royals took a 1-0 lead into the ninth inning, but blew the save and then lost the game in the 12th inning. The crowd at Kauffman Stadium vented their frustration after the game by booing the home team, which dropped to 7-16 so far this season. The Royals have the worst record in baseball at the moment, even below the New York Mets, who have lost 11 straight games.
Following the defeat to the Orioles, Witt was asked what he thinks about the fans booing the team, and he was honest with his assessment.
“Yeah it sucks. But if you’re the worst team in baseball, you might deserve to get booed every once in a while. It should motivate us to get better. Just motivate us to go out there and lay it all on the field each and every night.”
“Yeah, it sucks. But if you’re the worst team in baseball, you might deserve to get booed every once in a while. It should motivate us to get better. Just motivate us to go out there and lay it all on the field each and every night,” Witt said (via Royals reporter Jaylon T. Thompson).
The Kansas City Royals Were Expected to Contend This Year
Entering this season, the Royals were considered one of the favorites to come out of the American League Central division. On paper, this is a talented team, with the superstar Witt leading the way.
In addition to Witt, the Royals have several other impressive hitters in their lineup, including third baseman Maikel Garcia, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, and designated hitter Salvador Perez, as well as top prospects like Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. But for whatever reason, the lineup just hasn’t clicked in the early goings of the season, and the Royals continue to lose games.
In addition, the Royals’ pitching staff, which was also seen as a strength coming into this season, has been doing a good job for the most part, with starters Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Kris Bubic all having nice starts to their seasons. Cole Ragans has struggled, but otherwise, the rotation has been fine. Unfortunately, the starters have not been given much run support by the lineup, leading the Royals to lose many games to begin the year.
Bobby Witt Jr. is a Superstar
Witt is a true superstar in the baseball world. The 25-year-old shortstop is in his fifth season in the big leagues. Over the last two years, he racked up a whopping 16.7 bWAR and two top-five MVP finishes. He has been the best shortstop in the game both offensively and defensively.
But 2026 hasn’t been a great start for Witt. While he does carry a solid .287 batting average, he has hit zero home runs so far after launching 55 in the last two seasons. When it’s all said and done, Witt will likely have over 20 homers when you look at his stats at season’s end. But right now, with the Royals struggling to score runs, the lack of power from Witt is standing out.
It is still early enough in the season that the Royals can turn things around. They certainly have the talent to do so. But it has to start now, or the team will dig too big a hole to climb out of in an AL Central division that has been surprisingly more competitive this year than envisioned.
Bobby Witt Jr. Reacts to Team Being Booed at Home: ‘It Sucks’