Royals Injured Slugger Eyes 2024 Return: 'In My Mind, My Season's Not Over'
Friday morning brought brutal news for the Kansas City Royals and their fans, and it feels like the team is still recovering.
After exiting Thursday night's game against the Houston Astros, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a broken thumb. He had collided with Astros catcher Yainer Diaz trying to haul in an errant throw from pitcher Lucas Erceg, who was also injured on the play.
Losing Pasquantino, the Royals' number-three hitter, was a brutal blow to the offense. The reported recovery period was daunting, given how late in the season the injury occurred. And the Royals snapped into panic mode trying to replace Pasquantino.
On Saturday, the Royals acquired veteran hitters Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman, and Yuli Gurriel to revamp their struggling offense. Pham and Gurriel have already started each of their first two games on the active roster.
For the Royals, though, nothing can replace Pasquantino. And fortunately, the first baseman seems to feel as though a return this season is well within reach.
“We’re just going to attack it and try to get it as strong as we can and see what happens from there," Pasquantino said Monday, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. "But in my mind, my season’s not over. Whether that’s realistic or not, I don’t know.”
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the injury, Pasquantino also said he was a "wreck" in the immediate aftermath of Thursday night's incident. He said a conversation with Royals captain Salvador Perez, which he didn't detail publicly, helped turn him around.
Pasquantino also said he has his own recovery timeline separate from the six-to-eight weeks shared by the Royals publicly. He declined to state the details, per Rogers.
If there is any chance Kansas City can get Pasquantino back for the postseason, they'll feel much better about their chances of making some noise against the best teams in the American League. The lefty has a 108 OPS+ and 97 RBI this season, tied with Bobby Witt Jr. for the most on the team.
For now, though, they'll have to work on securing that postseason berth without the "Pasquatch." They lead the Boston Red Sox by 4 1/2 games in the wild card entering play on Monday.
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JACKSON ROBERTS
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org