The Royals are activating first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino for their Wild Card Series against the Orioles, which begins Tuesday in Baltimore.
Pasquantino broke his right thumb on Aug. 29 and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. But he’s beaten his recovery timeline by close to two weeks. The Royals were 75-60 and averaging 4.9 runs per game when Pasquantino was injured in a collision at first base in Houston. The team finished the year 11-16 while averaging just 2.9 runs per game.
Pasquantino was batting .262 with 19 homers and 97 RBIs at the time of his injury. The Royals attempted to replace his production by acquiring first baseman Yuli Gurriel and outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, but the offense struggled for much of September.
In the days before the postseason opener, Royals officials acknowledged that Pasquantino could risk re-aggravating the injury. However, such an injury is unlikely to affect the start of his 2025 season, giving the club an incentive to be aggressive.
“We’re more concerned with, ‘Can he help us win a ballgame on Tuesday?’” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said Saturday on Bally Sports Kansas City. “If the answer is yes, he’ll probably be in that lineup.”
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(Photo: Thomas Shea / USA Today Network / Imagn Images)
