Royals optimistic Vinnie Pasquantino can return from injured list Friday vs. O’s
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- Vinnie Pasquantino is scheduled to play his third rehab game on Thursday.
- Vinnie Pasquantino has been sidelined since June 14 with a right hamate fracture.
- Royals will likely have Vinnie Pasquantino back Friday, moving Jac Caglianone to right.
The Kansas City Royals are likely to get some much-needed offense back in their lineup on Friday night against the Orioles.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro announced that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is inching closer to returning from his injury. Pasquantino has been sidelined since June 14 with a right-hamate fracture in his hand.
This week, Pasquantino began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha. He was scheduled to play in a third game with the Storm Chasers on Thursday.
“He felt good,” Quatraro said. “He’s scheduled to play one more day, today. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly there. But he feels like he’s ready to go.”
Pasquantino recorded nine plate appearances during his rehab stint. He also played eight innings during Wednesday’s action against the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate).
The Royals have missed Pasquantino’s potential at the plate. This season, he is hitting .224 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 68 games.
“I think, when you go through injuries, a lot of it is the mindset,” Quatraro said. “And right away his goal was to get back as quickly as possible. We saw him do that with the really bad thumb injury a couple years ago. He is a guy that knows how to deal with this, the mental part of it, which is just as big as the physical.”
Pasquantino has been a proven run-producer in the past. Since his injury, the Royals have utilized Jac Caglianone at first base and given more playing time to Tyler Tolbert, Starling Marte and Lane Thomas, among others.
Caglianone has done well at first base. In June, he hit .309 with nine homers, 19 RBIs and a 1.036 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
The Royals will likely put Pasquantino back at first base. This will shift Caglianone back to right field and strengthen the corner outfield spots.
Pasquantino is eager to return. He wasn’t satisfied with his slower start this season and hopes to build momentum heading into the second half of the year.
“I was able to reflect on kind of how my first half of the year went from an individual standpoint,” Pasquantino said last week at Kauffman Stadium. “Try to make small adjustments when you can, even though you are rehabbing. And whenever I can get back, just try to help the team win games.”
The Royals could also get Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel back at some point in the coming weeks. Garcia will be reevaluated after the All-Star break as he nurses a muscle strain in his left hand.
Garcia was able to go through defensive drills and run the bases. However, he hasn’t started hitting yet and that will be the key test regarding his injury.
Isbel, meanwhile, experienced a setback last week. He is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot — an injury that’s sidelined him since June 10.
“He got shut down for a couple of days just to let the symptoms resolve,” Quatraro said. “But we don’t think it’s going to be a big setback.”
The Royals were to conclude their midweek series at the New York Mets on Thursday. This weekend, Kansas City finishes the first half of its season with a three-game series at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
