Kansas City Royals wore special T-shirts before game vs. Rays. It was for good cause
The Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays partnered for a special cause this weekend.
On Friday, the Royals supported Rays infielder Brandon Lowe to help raise awareness and funds for fertility struggles among families.
The Royals wore “Strength in Struggle” T-shirts during pregame warmups and batting practice at Tropicana Field. The shirt was designed by Tiny Turnip, an MLB-licensed apparel company.
Lowe and his wife, Madison, reached out to Royals’ Michael Wacha and Hunter Renfroe — and their families — to help support their efforts. Wacha and Lowe were teammates with the Rays during the 2021 season.
“It was a no-brainer for us to help out a former teammate and glad we could do something like this,” Wacha said.
Tiny Turnip will officially sell the t-shirt on their website in June. There will also be a silent auction held during the month. All proceeds will benefit Baby Quest, which is a foundation that provides fertility treatment grants to families in need.
“(We are) just helping to spread the awareness that a lot of people are struggling with,” Wacha said.
June is also World Infertility Awareness Month.
According to the Baby Quest website, the foundation has issued over 250 grants and helped over 165 babies be born. It’s also noted that nearly one out of eight women struggle with infertility.
Both teams also wore a special green patch on their jerseys. The patch represents Mental Health Awareness Month, which happens to be in May.
The Royals are active in raising awareness for mental health causes.
Players and staff have mental health resources available within the organization. Royals director of behavioral science Melissa Lambert is available each game to provide mental health and performance support.
“Mental health awareness is a big part of what we do here and also what the Rays do,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s important to bring that to the forefront.”
