How Vinnie Pasquantino beat the odds to return to Kansas City Royals this postseason

As he sat at the podium ahead of the Kansas City Royals’ American League Wild Card series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Vinnie Pasquantino took a moment to reflect.

He thought about his childhood growing up in nearby Richmond, Virginia. He could visualize sitting in left field and watching the Orioles play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Pasquantino estimated he probably attended at least 10 or 15 Orioles games. It dawned on him that the former seats are no longer available. The stadium changed in recent years, which reminded him that things can change in an instant.

Like his own health.

On Tuesday, the Royals officially cleared Pasquantino to return from a right thumb injury. Pasquantino not only returned — he hit third in the lineup in a 1-0 KC victory.

“It feels awesome,” Pasquantino said before the game. “You put a lot of work into this and it’s kind of a special, personal day just because we finally got the green light. I had my eyes set on a little bit earlier than this, but despite all (the) arguing, that was not realistic. So we did everything we could and we are here now. The rehab is not over, but the games can start. We are excited about it.”

Pasquantino went 0-for-3 with a walk and strikeout in his Royals return on Tuesday. He was indirectly involved in one particularly notable moment, when the Orioles chose to pitch to Bobby Witt Jr. in front of him, and Witt delivered the winning RBI.

The Royals will continue to monitor Pasquantino as he returns to the lineup — solely in a DH role. The club made a similar move earlier this year when second baseman Michael Massey returned from a back injury.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said Pasquantino is likely a few weeks away from being able to play in the field. He will continue to progress toward catching a baseball and doing the necessary defensive work.

“We are not going to put any added pressure (on him),” Picollo said. “The pounding of the baseball hitting that area is just too much right now. He’s not even begun that at this point. The big thing was to just get him back in the lineup.”

Pasquantino remained in constant communication with the Royals. He had until 9 a.m. local time Tuesday to share how he was feeling with team personnel. Pasquantino sent a text message at 6:55 a.m. saying he was good to go.

The Royals added him to the postgame roster. It was a special moment, as Pasquantino felt at times a return wasn’t in the cards.

“Once I had the surgery, I was in so much pain that I felt like this is not going to happen,” Pasquantino said. “And then, as the days went, I was like, ‘OK, I’m getting better.’ When they took (the cast) off and I saw the scar, I was like, ‘Absolutely not, this is definitely not going to happen.’ It looked like there was a worm on my hand. It was disgusting. But when we got the stitches out, I was like, ‘Oh my God, it looks like a hand again. Maybe we do have a shot.’”

Pasquantino detailed his entire recovery to this point. He began doing one-handed swings as soon as he got his cast off. The drills allowed him to keep his body rotating as he began to ramp up his physical activity.

Then, he progressed to hitting in the cage, running and throwing a baseball without actually catching it back in return. The activity was extended to drills working on his top hand which presented a new challenge.

“It was new for me because I normally don’t do a whole lot of one-handed stuff anyway,” Pasquantino said. “It was kind of a challenge to go and do, which was sort of fun other than not being able to play.”

Pasquantino began swinging with two hands over a week ago. He got multiple scans throughout the process and doctors cleared him to keep pushing with additional activity.

Last week, Pasquantino elevated his activity to on-field work at Nationals Park. He participated in a live batting practice session prior to the Royals playing the Washington Nationals.

A few days later, Pasquantino had another live session at Truist Park. He hit a home run off Royals reliever Steven Cruz pregame before the Royals played the Atlanta Braves.

“There was always this want for me to get back,” Pasquantino said. “But more importantly, I wanted to see the Kansas City Royals get into the playoffs. So me coming back was just a bonus for me personally. The last thing we wanted was to have such a great start and finish without making it. So to get here now and the cherry on top is that I get to play.”

Pasquantino found out he was trending to be in the lineup on Monday. He got another scan last Friday and checked out well. He understands the risk in playing while not fully 100% recovered, but he is ready to help the team win.

“We know the risks, because there are risks to it, but in my mind, there are some rewards too,” Pasquantino said. “We are just really excited about it and I couldn’t be more thankful for our medical team all the way around.”

The Royals were excited to insert Pasquantino back into the fold. He is another run producer who hit .262 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs this season.

“The amount of work that he’s put in and the dedication is really remarkable and how quickly he has healed up,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We know there is still healing that needs to happen, and it’s really incredible what he has done. And the whole training staff with Blummer (major league rehab coordinator Jeff Blum) and KT (Royals head athletic trainer Kyle Turner) to get him back.”

Quatraro thought Pasquantino could theoretically return after watching him at Nationals Park. He saw him hit in the cage and on the field without noticing any signs of discomfort.

“When I watched his face and didn’t see him grimace or those kinds of things, that’s when I thought it might be real,” Quatraro said.

Pasquantino, on the other hand, couldn’t be more excited to write the next chapter in his story in the same city he watched games as a kid.

“It’s super cool,” Pasquantino said. “I think after we found out that we were coming to Baltimore, my phone blew up from people from back home. And I don’t have any extra tickets. Yeah, it’s pretty special.”