KANSAS CITY – The Royals’ lineup on Monday night for their series- and homestand-opening game against the A’s at Kauffman Stadium looked a lot like what they had been expecting the lineup to look like all season.
Third baseman Maikel Garcia (left-hand muscle strain) and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (right wrist soreness) were reinstated from the injured list and in the lineup, hitting fourth and fifth, respectively. In corresponding moves, the Royals optioned infielder Josh Rojas to Triple-A Omaha and designated Starling Marte for assignment. Additionally, the Royals recalled lefty reliever Connor Thomas – whom they claimed off waivers from the A’s back on Aug. 4 – and optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Triple-A Omaha.
“We were anxious to get them back, they’re happy to be back, and it’s nice to be able to write them in there,” manager Matt Quatraro said of the hitters.
It’s been over two months since the Royals had Garcia and Pasquantino in the lineup together with their other everyday contributors like Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen and Salvador Perez, all of whom also played Monday.
Pasquantino was the first to hit the IL after a right hamate fracture on June 14. He missed 23 games on that stint before the All-Star break, and during that time, Garcia was sidelined on June 23 with a left hand muscle strain that required extended rest. Pasquantino returned before the break but then went on the IL again on July 29 with soreness that was related to coming back from his original hand injury. He missed 17 games this time on the IL, while Garcia missed 46 games total during his IL stint.
“It’s like Opening Day,” Garcia said. “We're just missing [second baseman Jonathan] India. But I feel like everybody’s on the field. We’re missing the pitchers. But it feels like we have the whole lineup back. We need to play good and win some games.”
Both hitters played on rehab assignments last week, but Pasquantino only logged 16 at-bats in Triple-A, while Garcia recorded 10 at-bats in Double-A. They were using the rehab games more to make sure they felt healthy before, during and after each game. As soon as they were ready, they wanted to get back to the big leagues and get the at-bats here as the season enters its final stretch, even if their workloads will be monitored.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, right?” Quatraro said. “It’s nice to put them in there today. We want to keep them in there. We want to keep everybody healthy. But there’s no question we’re trying to play well down the stretch here. We’re trying to continue to build on the progress that some of the guys have made individually, and doing that as a team – to have those back – we think that gives us a good chance.”
The Royals’ lineup had its struggles with everyone on the field early in the year. Injuries didn’t cost them the season, but they did hinder the club’s chances of getting back in the playoff hunt throughout the summer. The early-season offensive issues mean there is still plenty of work to be done with this lineup even with the everyday contributors back.
But getting everyone back on the field allows that work to get started, and the Royals can use these final six weeks of the season to do that – especially because Kansas City’s lineup on Monday could very well be one we see in 2027. Those key contributors, including Garcia and Pasquantino, will all be back and relied upon again next year.
“I’m excited about that, what the lineup looks like tonight, and I’m ready to move forward,” Pasquantino said. “And we got some guys that have really carved out some roles for themselves, which is cool. I look forward to these next six weeks being competitive baseball. That’s what we kind of have our mindset on.
“... I think just showing we can win. That’s what this is all about. Showing that this lineup can be competitive. The fight toward the end of the year is, ‘Don’t make the front office have to do too much. We believe we’ve got the guys here.’ Now, that’s their job. Our job is to go perform on the field, but that’s about it. Just try to play good baseball again.”