On August 29, Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino fractured his thumb in an unfortunate collision at first. The Royals have struggled mightily since, going 7-10 and scoring three or fewer runs nine times.
Pasquantino’s slash line was .262/.315/.446 at the time of his injury. He had 19 home runs and 97 RBI. Along with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and catcher Salvador Perez, Kansas City had a formidable trio anchoring the lineup. The team has yet to find that consistent, productive third big bat without him.
Offensively, the team seems lost without Pasquantino. Witt’s batting average has dropped 10 points in Pasquantino’s absence as the star shortstop has hit just .227 since Pasquantino left the lineup. Perez has fared only slightly better, hitting .242.
The rest of the lineup has been even worse. Hunter Renfroe is hitting .214, Michael Massey .204, Maikel Garcia .200, Paul DeJong .171 and MJ Melendez .163. It has been ugly for the Royals on offense.
Things are getting dire. The Royals were tied with the Guardians for first place in the AL Central as late as August 27. They are now five games behind. They had a firm hold on a wild-card spot in the not-so-distant past. Now, that comfort zone has dissipated, leaving them with just a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Twins for the No. 2 wild-card spot and three games over the Tigers for the final postseason berth.
The Royals’ slump has eliminated all hope of catching the Guardians with only 10 games to go. Now, even their seeming lock hold on a playoff spot is slipping away.
The Royals’ turnaround from a year ago is absolutely amazing. To go from 106 losses in 2023 to 82 wins in 2024 (so far) is a historic feat. Still, if Kansas City should falter down the stretch, it will be a huge disappointment for a team that has played so well for most of the season.
It is strange how the loss of one player can send a team into a downward spiral, especially when that player is only the third-best offensive player on the team. But Pasquantino offered solid protection for Witt, and his presence stretched out an obviously thin batting order. If he remained healthy, Pasquantino would have almost certainly given the Royals a third 100-RBI player this season (Witt and Perez).
If the Royals can survive these last 10 games, make the postseason and win their first playoff series they could potentially see the return of their big first baseman. But they still have to find a way to win without him to even get to that point. It won’t be easy, clearly.