Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. had a strong 2026 spring training debut on Friday. He went 1-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. While it was a strong debut, one may not have imagined that the shortstop would go viral in his first game in Arizona. However, that is exactly what happened.
MLB posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of a triple Witt hit during the Royals' 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers. The video focused on Witt rounding the bases, displaying his impressive speed. With a caption that reads "Watch Bobby Witt Jr. fly", the video instantly took off and gained traction. It already has over 126 thousand views as of this story's writing.
Watch Bobby Witt Jr. fly 💨 pic.twitter.com/VepOUmUkYL
— MLB (@MLB) February 20, 2026
Witt is one of baseball's fastest players. In fact, he checked in at the 100th percentile in sprint speed in 2025. Witt features the ability to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. If he finds a gap in the outfield, there is always a chance that he can extend the hit into a triple -- which is what he did on Friday afternoon.
Royals Win Spring Training Opener vs. Rangers
Overall, it was an impressive performance by the Royals. As mentioned, Bobby Witt Jr. played well. Maikel Garcia also went 1-3, while Salvador Perez had two hits in the game. Perez and Michael Massey both hit home runs to set the tone for the offense.
Stephen Kolek started the contest on the mound for Kansas City, pitching two innings and allowing one run. The rest of the pitchers performed well for the most part, as Kansas City allowed just three total runs in the game. Ben Sears shut the door in the 9th inning to clinch the victory for Kansas City.
It's obviously just a spring training game, but kicking things off at 1-0 is never a bad thing. Up next for the Royals is a matchup with the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Kansas City will then play the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
As for Bobby Witt Jr., he will look to continue playing at a high level as he gears up for the World Baseball Classic. Witt is expected to be the starting shortstop for a Team USA ball club that wants to win the entire tournament.
It would not be surprising to see Witt end up having more viral moments in the WBC.