The Royals announced that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has a broken right thumb. He is scheduled for further testing today but the club says he won’t be able to return for six to eight weeks. Given that timeline, he’ll miss the remainder of the regular season and would need the club to put together a deep postseason run to be a factor late in October.
During last night’s game against the Astros, Yainer Diaz hit a comebacker to right-hander Lucas Erceg, who attempted to field the ball with his bare hand. Erceg knocked the ball down, picked it up and fired to first. The ball arrived at the bag around the same time as Diaz, who made contact with Pasquantino as the first baseman attempted to field the throw (Video link from MLB.com). Both Erceg and Pasquantino were visibly injured and removed from the game after the play. Manager Matt Quatraro told reporters after the game that both players would undergo X-rays, per broadcaster Joel Goldberg on X.
The Royals haven’t yet provided an update on Erceg, but the news on Pasquantino is devastating. He’s been a key bat for the club this year, hitting 19 home runs while limiting his strikeout rate to 12.8%. His .262/.315/.446 batting line translates to a wRC+ of 106.
That’s only six percent better than league average but the Royals have had a fairly top-heavy offense this year. Bobby Witt Jr. has been elite and Salvador Perez has been great, but there’s a big drop-off without Pasquantino in the mix. The only others players on the team with an above-average wRC+ this year are Freddy Fermin, Michael Massey and Paul DeJong. Fermin’s output is fuelled by a .344 batting average on balls in play that he will struggle to maintain while DeJong has been a boom-and-bust players for years, alternating between home run surges and big strikeout woes.
The lineup looks a lot less imposing without Pasquantino in it and the Royals will now have to proceed in his absence. Despite that fairly middling offense, the club has been able to ride Witt’s amazing season and a strong rotation to a record of 75-60. They are in the middle of a three-way battle for the Central division, currently 1.5 games back of the Guardians but two ahead of the Twins. Both the Royals and Twins currently hold Wild Card spots, with Boston 3.5 games back of Minnesota for the final slot.
The club will now have to navigate the remainder of the regular season and at least the beginning of the playoffs while figuring out a solution at first…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Kansas City Royals – MLB Trade Rumors…