After a rainout on Tuesday delayed his return to the field, Vinnie Pasquantino began a rehab assignment Wednesday, joining Triple-A Omaha for the series in Columbus (Guardians).
Pasquantino has been on the 10-day injured list with right wrist soreness since July 29. Throughout the back half of July, as Pasquantino made his return from the right hamate fracture that he had to have surgery on in June, the Royals’ first baseman experienced soreness and fatigue while getting back into games and building up his workload. That eventually led to his second and current IL stint. After a few days of rest, Pasquantino ramped back up his hitting progression to get ready to get back into games.
Third baseman Maikel Garcia was also slated to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, but travel issues delayed him getting to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Here’s what to know about Pasquantino’s rehab assignment:
How did Pasquantino perform?
Pasquantino went 1-for-5 with a ninth-inning single during Omaha’s 15-7 loss to Columbus. In his other four plate appearances, he grounded into a double play, struck out, grounded out to third and flied out to the warning track in center field.
What’s next?
Pasquantino has only been out of games for two weeks, so he could be back with Kansas City as soon as next week’s homestand. After experiencing what he did as he got back into games after the last IL stint, the Royals probably don’t want to rush him.
What they’re saying
“We were hoping to get five games in this week and see how that went. A lot of it’s going to be based on how he feels.” – Manager Matt Quatraro on Pasquantino’s timeline
What else?
It’s been a frustrating year for Pasquantino, who took a step back after his 32-homer, 113-RBI 2025 season. In 79 games this year, he’s slashing .232/.318/.345 with just six home runs and 33 RBIs. Then the injury bug hit him again with the hamate fracture, and he’s been trying to not just get back on the field, but also finish the year as strong as possible. The Royals view the 28-year-old as a key piece of their 2027 core, so it’s important to get him back healthy and producing like they saw him do just a year ago.