The Kansas City Royals are getting ready to defend their World Series Championship with their season-opening game on Sunday. It’s especially challenging since, for the second year in a row, they had a shorter off-season thanks to their back-to-back World Series appearances.

            For team doctor Vincent Key, an orthopedic surgeon at The University of Kansas Hospital’s Sports Medicine and Performance Center, this shortened off-season presents special challenges for the medical staff and athletic trainers. In the video, Dr. Key talks about how he and his team adjusted during spring training. One of the challenges he describes include players with injuries who have less time to recover before the new season. He also talks about how he and the medical team start preparing players for the off-season halfway through the regular season. Key also says he works with physicians all over the country to coordinate some players’ medical care.