KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals activated All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. from the injured list Tuesday and claimed left-hander Connor Thomas off waivers from the Athletics as part of a series of roster moves.
Witt returned to the lineup against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium after missing time with lower back tightness. He had been on the injured list since July 22, retroactive to July 21.
The 26-year-old entered Tuesday batting .279 with 13 home runs and an American League-leading 30 stolen bases in 94 games. His 4.8 FanGraphs wins above replacement ranked third in the AL.
Witt has stolen at least 30 bases in each of his first five major league seasons, joining Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki and Vince Coleman as the only players since 1900 to accomplish the feat.
The three-time All-Star is also a two-time Gold Glove winner and the reigning AL Platinum Glove recipient.
Kansas City also recalled right-hander Jose Cuas from Triple-A Omaha. Cuas, 32, has a 2.84 ERA in five appearances during three stints with the Royals this season.
To clear roster space, the Royals designated pitcher Matt Strahm and infielder Andrew Velazquez for assignment.
Strahm struggled in his return to Kansas City after being acquired from Philadelphia in December. The 34-year-old left-hander posted a 7.32 ERA in 41 appearances, allowing 12 home runs in 35 2/3 innings.
Velazquez appeared in six games for the Royals and went 1-for-15.
Thomas, who was designated for assignment by the Athletics on Saturday, was optioned to Omaha after being claimed.
The 28-year-old began the season in the Atlanta organization and made two relief appearances for the Braves. Oakland claimed him off waivers July 30 before removing him from its roster two days later.
Thomas went 2-1 with one save and a 2.09 ERA in 17 minor league appearances, including two starts, with High-A Rome and Triple-A Gwinnett.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Thomas in the fifth round of the 2019 draft out of Georgia Tech. He remained in the Cardinals organization through 2024 before Milwaukee selected him in the Rule 5 draft. Thomas made the Brewers’ opening-day roster in 2025 and pitched twice before going on the injured list.