Pasquantino dealing with low back tightness, exits opener vs. Athletics

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Vinnie Pasquantino exited Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the A’s with low back tightness, something he’s been dealing with for “a while,” he said.

Pasquantino saw 19 pitches between his first two plate appearances on Tuesday, a 10-pitch double and a nine-pitch walk. When he grounded out to lead off the sixth inning, he noticeably grimaced as he was coming out of his swing and beginning the run to first.

“I was just having a hard time getting it loose today,” Pasquantino said. “My work was real light because of that. Just trying to get ready for the game. Felt like I had two productive at-bats to start, and then the last one just felt like I couldn’t make the moves that I wanted to make. I had a hard time getting out of my swing and then running to first.”

Pasquantino didn’t specify how long “a while” is, but he did say he and the Royals have been trying to manage it.

That includes treatment, and he’s been wearing a heating/massage back pad in the dugout to help keep it loose recently.

“It’s day to day, but for whatever reason, today, it acted up a little bit more,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He had some pretty long at-bats with a lot of swings involved, so maybe that has something to do with it. It’s just more – anybody that’s ever had that low back [pain], sometimes it flares up, and you don’t really know why.”

The Royals will see how Pasquantino feels on Wednesday before deciding whether he’ll start or what his availability will be throughout the game.

“Pushing to play,” Pasquantino said. “But, at the same time, it’s April. Got to be smart. Pushing for the long haul. See how I feel when I wake up. Probably go see the trainers in the morning, maybe get in the pool or something like that. See how I feel, see if I can get it to loosen up and go from there.”