Bobby Witt Jr.'s Latest Big Game Comes With a Concerning Catch

The Kansas City Royals were defeated by the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, losing by a final score of 10-9. Offense told the story of the game. The Royals' lineup has endured ups and downs this season, but their performance on Thursday was a big step in the right direction. Bobby Witt Jr. had three hits and scored three runs in what was an impressive performance. However, the star shortstop has yet to hit a home run this season.

Witt has now appeared in 19 total games in 2026. He hit at least 20 homers in each of his first four seasons at the big league level. In 2024, Witt recorded a career-best 32 home runs. The 2025 campaign saw Witt hit 23 long balls.

Through his 19 contests in 2026, though, Witt has not hit a single home run. He has only five total extra-base hits as well. Witt is still seeing the ball well, as he has 20 total hits and has recorded a .282/.366/.352 slash line. His OPS is .718 overall.

It is surprising to see his lack of power this year. His track record suggests he will turn things around of course, but it is difficult to ignore his performance up to this point.

Why is Bobby Witt Jr. Struggling to Hit Home Runs This Year?

Witt is hitting the ball harder than ever. His 53.7 hard-hit percentage represents a career-best mark. There is one obvious reason Witt's home run total is down, however.

Heading into Thursday's game, he held a career-low 18.5 percent fly ball rate. His previous career-low mark for fly balls hit was 27.9 percent.

Witt is also going the other way on a consistent basis, doing so 29.6 percent of the time -- which is also a career-high mark. It is not clear if he attempted to change his hitting approach during the offseason or not. Either way, Witt is hitting the ball hard without any long balls to show for it.

Is there reason to panic? In all reality, there is not.

Bobby Witt Jr. has a proven track record. It isn't as if he is in a slump. The fly balls will come. The home runs will come. There is no reason to worry at the moment. After all, it still is only April.