Vinnie Pasquantino returns for the Wild Card series, Royals set roster
The Pasquatch is back!
The Royals seem to be confirming that Vinnie Pasquantino will be back for the Wild Card round:
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) October 1, 2024
That seems to confirm what Anne Rogers reported yesterday:
No live workout on the field today, which means we won’t see Vinnie Pasquantino hit. #Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Pasquantino will hit in the cages, and the team will see how he feels tomorrow before making the final determination whether he’ll be on the roster. pic.twitter.com/zRWcDz0a5i
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) September 30, 2024
And what Vinnie hinted at during the clincher celebration
Vinnie being Vinnie. pic.twitter.com/wE5bKJdapx
— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) September 28, 2024
After being seen taking batting practice in Washington last week:
Vinnie Pasquantino facing live pitching today with Will Smith and Steven Cruz on the mound. Strange sight only because this usually happens earlier in the afternoon but with the celebration last night and later arrival today, fans are getting to watch. pic.twitter.com/0BUpla0QYg
— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) September 28, 2024
Most will remember that back on August 29th, Vinnie Pasquantino broke his thumb in the 8th inning of a game in Houston. In his 5-ish weeks absence, the team has gone 11-16 and has only scored 78 runs (2.89 per game). Even if rusty, hopefully his bat with lengthen the lineup and provide some protection for other batters.
EDIT: As of 9:00 am, this is confirmed by the team:
Our 26 taking the field in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/Zmvhf015hY
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) October 1, 2024
Here is it in text form:
Catchers (2): Freddy Fermin, Salvador Perez
Infielders (8): Paul DeJong, Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia, Yuli Gurriel, Garrett Hampson, Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino, Bobby Witt Jr.
Outfielders (5): Dairon Blanco, Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez, Tommy Pham, Hunter Renfroe
Starting pitchers (3): Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha
Relievers (8): Kris Bubic, Lucas Erceg, Sam Long, Michael Lorenzen, Daniel Lynch IV, John Schrieber, Brady Singer, Angel Zerpa
With rosters going from 28 in September to 26 in the postseason and with Vinnie Pasquantino being activated from the IL, three players from the final regular season roster were left off the list: Robbie Grossman, Carlos Hernández, and Alec Marsh.