Could Vinnie Pasquantino return for wild-card playoffs? KC Royals explore options

The Kansas City Royals have yet to set their playoff roster for the American League Wild Card series that begins on Tuesday.

Among numerous scenarios with which they’re wrestling, the Royals could decide to activate first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino from the 10-day injured list.

Pasquantino has made expedited strides since undergoing right-thumb surgery for a fracture suffered during a late-August game against Houston.

Could Pasquantino really be ready to play as soon as Tuesday? That would be well ahead of the six- to eight-week timeline initially given for his recovery.

But Pasquantino, who turns 27 on Oct. 10, has taken batting practice in recent days. He faced live pitching Saturday, logging good at-bats against KC relievers Will Smith and Steven Cruz.

That session led Royals general manager J.J. Picollo to leave open the possibility that Pasquantino might even be ready and available for duty in the wild-card round. The Royals clinched their first postseason berth since 2015 on Friday night.

“He felt good afterwards,” Picollo said of the live-pitching session during Bally Sports’ broadcast of Saturday’s game. “We need to see how he feels tomorrow and see what the next step is.

“It’s remarkable that he’s in the position he’s in, for us for us to even be thinking about him playing on Tuesday.”

Pasquantino indeed looked solid in the batter’s box Saturday. There were no noticeable signs that his injury hindered him.

There are multiple needs and options for the Royals to consider here. They must assemble a 26-man roster with select pitchers and position players. That responsibility falls to manager Matt Quatraro and his staff as well as front-office personnel.

The Royals will continue to monitor Pasquantino, but Picollo certainly struck an optimistic tone Saturday. He cautioned that such a decision would only come after a medical evaluation from the training staff.

“But I know we’re excited about it, and we’re being very cautious with how we do things,” Picollo said. “But at the same time, players know their bodies and they know if they’re injured or not, and they know the importance of being able to help this club.

“It’s not just about playing, but being able to help this club. And Vinnie’s been up-front with us all the way through.”

If Pasquantino gains medical clearance, he’d likely play only as a designated hitter.

The Royals faced a similar situation earlier in the season. In June, infielder Michael Massey was reinstated from the injured list after a lower-back strain. Massey returned as only a hitter at first, easing his way back to playing in the field.

A similar approach could be employed with Pasquantino.

“He swung the bat well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Pasquantino. “Well, you know, as odd as it sounds, it’s a good thing he swung and missed a couple of times. He squared one up and hit another one off the end (of the bat). So, everything we wanted to see was good there.”

The Royals have one regular-season game left — Sunday in Atlanta. Pasquantino has pushed hard to make it back in time for the playoffs.

His desire to return fast hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates. They would welcome his bat.

“We talked as a group in here, when he got hurt,” team captain Salvador Perez said. “The best thing is to try to get him back for the playoffs. So I think he is going to be ready, and I hope, you know?”

Picollo didn’t seem to harbor any long-term concerns regarding Pasquantino’s injury, even if he were to return ahead of schedule.

“We’re not concerned long-term,” Picollo said. “We’re more concerned with, can he help us win a ballgame on Tuesday? If the answer is yes, then he’ll probably be in that lineup.”

The Royals will finalize their seeding for the wild-card round Sunday. They currently hold the third and final AL wild-card spot, one game behind the Detroit Tigers.

If the two AL Central rivals finish with identical records, the Royals would take the second AL wild-card seed. KC would leapfrog the Tigers in that scenario because the Royals own the regular-season tiebreaker against Detroit.