Pasquantino lands on IL with reoccurring shoulder injury
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BALTIMORE -- The shoulder soreness Vinnie Pasquantino felt during Friday night’s game against the Orioles was severe enough to land the Royals’ first baseman on the injured list Saturday, but he and the club won’t know the true severity until they return to Kansas City next week.
Pasquantino is scheduled to get an MRI on Monday in Kansas City after being placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder instability. The results of that scan will determine the treatment plan and timeline for Pasquantino’s return.
Pasquantino, 26, exited Friday’s game in the seventh inning with right shoulder discomfort, and following the game, manager Matt Quatraro said Pasquantino felt pain while reaching up for a pickoff throw earlier in the game. But Pasquantino clarified that it wasn’t on one specific play, saying he “just felt it” on Friday.
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He missed about three weeks with a similar injury last season and described the feeling this time as “pretty much the same.”
“Similar thing last year,” Pasquantino said. “Get some more tests Monday and see what the plan is after that. … Felt like we were in a really good spot. This is something I’ve dealt with before. I [did physical therapy] all offseason. It sucks that it happened yesterday.”
It was unclear whether Pasquantino has been dealing with soreness this season or if he only felt it Friday. He has a .761 OPS with nine homers this season but has been slumping lately, slashing just .167/.227/.278 with six walks and 13 strikeouts in the last 23 games (since May 11).
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“[Friday is] the first that we had heard,” Quatraro said. “If we had been dealing with it, he had been keeping it to himself, trying to gut it out. But I wouldn’t be able to say.”
The Royals’ plan at first base while Pasquantino is sidelined is to have Nick Pratto, a natural and elite first baseman, play the majority of games there. In left field, they will give Edward Olivares plenty of reps, but there can be a combination of Olivares, Nate Eaton, Jackie Bradley Jr. or Drew Waters (depending on who the center fielder is). If Pratto is needed in left field, Matt Duffy can slot in at first base.