With Opening Day just five days away, the Kansas City Royals are facing a new concern.
On March 22, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino left the Royals’ spring training game in the fifth inning after seemingly injuring his leg while running out a grounder to first base. After reaching the bag, he appeared to be favoring his left leg and promptly exited the field with head trainer Kyle Turner. Despite limping, Pasquantino walked off the field under his own power.
Following the game, the Royals confirmed on social media that Pasquantino had sustained a right hamstring strain and would continue to undergo evaluation.
The Royals’ game against the Texas Rangers on March 22 marked their final spring training matchup in Arizona. The team will now travel to Texas for two exhibition games against the Rangers at Globe Life Field before Opening Day on March 27.
Pasquantino shared with MLB.com’s Anne Rogers that he felt “fine” after the injury. “I don’t want to put any timeframe on it, but I don’t think – my gut tells me it’s not going to affect anything. But my gut is not the medical staff,” he said. “So we’ll get it evaluated tomorrow and we’ll see.”
During the 2024 season, Pasquantino hit a .262/.315/.446 line with 19 home runs and 97 RBI over 554 plate appearances. He missed a few weeks due to a broken thumb late in August, but defied expectations by returning before the Royals’ postseason push.
Heading into 2025, Pasquantino is expected to be the Royals’ regular first baseman. However, if he needs to miss time early in the season, catcher Salvador Perez will likely fill in at first base, as he’s been taking more reps there recently to relieve himself from behind the plate.
