| Chris Getz's left thumb was broken on a bunt attempt. (Getty Images) |
The Royals will finally give Johnny Giavotella a chance to play second base every day after Chris Getz was lost for the season with a broken thumb. Getz was hit on his left thumb attempting to bunt against White Sox starter Chris Getz in the fifth inning of Friday's victory.
Giavotella, 25, is hitting .323/.404/.472 with 10 home runs and 71 RBI for Triple-A Omaha. From May 9 to June 10, Giavotella appeared in 21 games for the Royals, hitting .217/.260/.261. In 46 games last season, he hit .247/.273/.376.
Getz, 28, was hitting .275/.312/.360 this season. He will undergo surgery on Saturday morning, he told reporters. Getz had taken over the team's full-time second base gig after Yuniesky Betancourt was designated for assignment on Aug. 5.
Royals manager Ned Yost said Giavotella will get a chance to play regularly.
"He'll play five, six days a week to start with," Yost told MLB.com. "Depending on production and everything else that goes into it."
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