After a full month recovering from a bone fracture in his hand, Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has recovered and been reinstated from the team's injured list. This development couldn't come any later as the Royals are in dire need of another trusted hitter in the lineup, in hopes of digging themselves out of the abyss of the American League standings.
While Pasquantino is expected back at some point during the ongoing series versus the Baltimore Oilers, it wouldn't be a surprise if Kansas City keeps him sidelined through next week's All-Star break, not risking further setbacks. However, after a ridiculous hot streak of 31 runs over two games, the Royals are sliding back into frustrating ways, losers of three straight, and nine games back of a Wild Card spot.
Manager Matt Quatraro has exhausted his resources this season, and few of them have spurred any real success. So perhaps throwing the Sasquatch back into the fire feels like his last resort. Before his injury, Pasquantino was in the middle of his own batting heater in what has otherwise been a poor season from the 28-year-old.
Pasquantino should be a full go any day now
In the month of July, Pasquantino played in 12 games and managed at least one hit in all but two contests, drove in seven runs, and scored seven of his own as well. While his usual power still wasn't there with just one home run, he was much cleaner at the plate, taking five walks and being struck out just six times.
His .298 batting average and .365 on-base percentage aren't elite numbers, but they were miles better than anything he had been producing and helped Kansas City win half of those dozen games. The hope is that Pasquantino can return to that form of himself from the jump, but it's a lot ot ask of a guy who just came back from a month off after suffering a serious hand injury.
However, with the recent offensive explosions of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, along with Bobby Witt Jr.'s continued excellence and Salvador Perez's big-play ability, Pasquantino bringing another quality bat will no doubt propel the Royals lineup to at least be bearable.
This is much needed, as the pitching has slumped all year, due to continuous injuries to aging starters, exiting their prime, and a bullpen devoid of high-quality output. If Pasquantino comes back firing on all cylinders, it may force the Royals to readjust any potential thoughts on trading him later this season and give KC's brass renewed hope about his future with the franchise.
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