KANSAS CITY -- The Royals lineup suffered a significant loss on Sunday, as slugger Vinnie Pasquantino was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand. Outfielder John Rave was recalled from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.
Pasquantino exited Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Astros at Kauffman Stadium in visible discomfort after making contact with the ball in the fifth inning.
No timetable has been given for his potential return.
“It stinks a lot. He’s a big part of our team,” catcher Carter Jensen said on Saturday. “He’s a leader on this team, so seeing him go down, it’s never fun. But we’re backing him up and wishing him a speedy recovery [so he can] get back and help us win some games just like he does every night.”
Pasquantino immediately reacted as if he was in pain after popping up a fastball on the inside part of the plate to third base. He grimaced and looked at his hands while jogging up the first-base line. When he returned to the dugout, Pasquantino went down into the tunnel without meeting with a trainer.
Kansas City’s first baseman did not return to the game and was replaced by Isaac Collins, who went to left field, swapping places with Lane Thomas, while Jac Caglianone moved from right field to first base.
Pasquantino continued his hot stretch earlier in the game with an RBI single in the third inning. Before going down, he had hit safely in his past eight games and entered batting .310 with a .394 on-base percentage in his past 15 games.
The 28-year-old has played in 68 of Kansas City’s 71 games. Pasquantino was sidelined briefly with low back tightness at the end of April, but missed limited time. For the season, Pasquantino is batting .224 with six home runs and 32 RBIs.