Royals set rotation after good news on Wacha's injury

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Michael Wacha has an intentionally short memory.

On Sunday, he left the Royals’ intrasquad game in pain after getting stuck by a line drive on his right middle finger. On Monday, Wacha told manager Matt Quatraro he had “forgot about it.”

Wacha’s injury status was the biggest question mark ahead of Kansas City’s 7-1 exhibition win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark, and the positive news was welcome for a club that hopes Wacha will be a large part of its lofty goals in 2024.

“We are really lucky, he is really lucky,” Quatraro said of Wacha, whose X-rays came back negative on Monday morning. “We feel fortunate that it wasn’t anything worse.”

“It was a little bit of a bruise probably, but in terms of pain, we anticipate him being good.”

Wacha’s health also solidified the rotation order. Quatraro confirmed that the Royals will go with Cole Ragans (Thursday), Seth Lugo (Saturday) and Brady Singer (Sunday) for the opening series against the Twins. Wacha and Alec Marsh round out the first go through as Wacha is slated to start the first of a three-game road set April 1-3 against the Orioles, and Marsh, depending on how the Royals utilize Friday’s off-day, will make his first start against Baltimore on the second or third game of the series.

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Putting Wacha at No. 4 not only allows the veteran an extra day to heal his finger, but sets up the right-hander to start on the road against an Orioles squad that won an American League-best 101 games last season. The Royals went 7-22 during the first month last season, but are hoping the veteran arms they signed this offseason can lead to a quick start.

“All kinds of things [went into the order],” Quatraro said. “Pitch style, handedness, environment, where we are playing, all kinds of things. We had plenty of long discussions. The good thing about it is we thought we had multiple ways to go. They are all pros, they are all guys we think highly of.

“Last year didn’t go the way we wanted, and we definitely aim to make it a much better year. That starts the same with any good team -- with pitching. We made a ton of moves in the offseason regarding the pitching staff and we are excited about that. …”

Springdale spectacular

It was a trip down memory lane for many Royals, who played their first game in franchise history in Springdale. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino were placed in the same lockers they once occupied while playing for the Naturals.

“Bobby and I were talking about it together, we never played together here, but we are in the same lockers we were in, so that’s pretty cool,” said Pasquantino, who spent 55 games with Northwest Arkansas in 2021.

“I think [the game] was important for fans. … How often does a Major League team play in a Double-A stadium? It’s cool for the fans to not have to make a three-hour drive to see us play, instead, it’s right here at Arvest Ballpark. We are excited about it.”

The game was a sellout, and the Royals put together a lineup that could very well match the one on Opening Day. But it was under the stands by the batting cages that had players reflecting on their time with the Naturals, with team photos dating back to the team’s inception in 2008 displayed along the wall.

“It’s great to see everything … to walk down the halls and remember this is where I started my pro career,” said Witt, who along with MJ Melendez (who hit two doubles on Monday), played a large role for the 2021 Double-A Central championship club. “It’s really special to come back now, to see the pictures of us from the 2021 season. I had a lot of fun memories here.

“You go down the hall and see all the names that have played here, made their debut with the Royals, played with the Royals or even are All-Stars on different teams. That’s pretty cool to see.”

Strong sendoff

Singer added two pitches this offseason, and they were in midseason form during his final tune-up ahead of Sunday’s start against the Twins. Singer was tagged for seven runs in his previous spring outing and finished Cactus League play with a 7.31 ERA. But he bounced back on Monday with six scoreless innings of three-hit ball to go with eight strikeouts.

“Four-seamer was really good tonight,” Singer said. “It was definitely my best pitch. I was able to throw that for strikes, and the sweeper, I liked a lot, too. I was able to overlay those pretty well.”

Quatraro added: “To [be able to] throw a four-seamer that has a little rise on it, that’s something that can really challenge guys to lay off of it, or get easy outs. We don’t want him to go away from what made him who he was, but [he has] more weapons he can use as people get used to him.”