Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino Takes Critical Step in Recovery From Thumb Surgery

Vinnie Pasquantino has been out with a fractured thumb since late August, but the Kansas City Royals first baseman was seen taking batting practice on Thursday.

Sep 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; An injured Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) talks with teammates against the Cleveland Guardians in the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who has been sidelined for nearly a month, took a major step towards a potential return on Thursday.

Pasquantino suffered a fractured right thumb against the Houston Astros back on Aug. 29, hitting the injured list one day later. The 26-year-old slugger then underwent surgery on Sept. 3, and the Royals ultimately ruled him out for 6-to-8 weeks.

Just over three weeks post-op, though, Pasquantino is once again participating in batting practice.

The Kansas City Star's Jaylon T. Thompson was among those to share footage of Pasquantino getting some swings in prior to Thursday's road game against the Washington Nationals.

#Royals 1B Vinnie Pasquantino taking batting practice today at Nationals Park.

Another step in his recovery after his right thumb injury. pic.twitter.com/jBOprcqeZF

— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) September 26, 2024

Kansas City has sorely missed Pasquantino's explosiveness at the plate in September. As Céspedes Family BBQ noted on social media, the Royals rank dead last in MLB with 14 home runs, 2.87 runs per game and 61 Weighted Runs Created Plus since Pasquantino got hurt.

The Royals also fell victim to a seven-game home run drought – tied for the second-longest across the league in 2024 – until right fielder Hunter Renfroe mercifully brought it to an end with a solo shot against the Nationals on Thursday.

Pasquantino was batting .262 with 19 home runs, 97 RBI, a .760 OPS and a 1.2 WAR before he went down. He still ranks third on the team in home runs, trailing only shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and catcher Salvador Perez.

The Royals have continued to mix Perez in at first with Pasquantino out, while Yuli Gurriel has taken over the rest of the starts. The 40-year-old Gurriel, a two-time World Series champion, arrived in Kansas City via a trade with the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 31.

Through 16 games with the Royals, Gurriel has hit .277 with three doubles, zero home runs, six RBI, a .708 OPS and a 0.2 WAR.

Kansas City is currently fighting to stay alive in the AL Wild Card hunt, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the final playoff berth. If the Royals can hold strong in the final weekend of the regular season, then advance to the AL Divisional Series, perhaps that will give Pasquantino enough time to return to their lineup.

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