BALTIMORE -- Vinnie Pasquantino is back.

The Royals received a big boost to their offense ahead of the American League Wild Card Series against the Orioles, with Game 1 set for Tuesday at 3:08 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The Royals announced their Wild Card Series roster Tuesday morning, not long after the club posted a teaser on X featuring a photo of a "Pasquatch," Pasquantino’s nickname, holding a bat.

Just one month after breaking his right thumb on a defensive play in Houston, Pasquantino will return to the lineup that has sorely missed one of its most important run producers. The 26-year-old slugger drove in 97 runs before his injury. He hit 19 home runs in 2024 and posted a .761 OPS.

From the start of the season through Aug. 28, the Royals slashed .258/.314/.425 as a team. In the final month of the season, that slash line dropped to .197/.266/.294, and the Royals went 11-16. The lack of production came from a variety of reasons, but it’s hard to ignore Pasquantino’s absence as one of them, particularly with the Royals struggling with runners in scoring position.

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But getting him back for October -- only as a designated hitter -- was always the goal. He ramped up the intensity of his work over the past week to face live pitching, and everything checked out with the medical team on Tuesday morning for Pasquantino to return.

The Royals have their top three hitters now in Bobby Witt Jr., Pasquantino and Salvador Perez. A lot will be resting on their shoulders to get things done offensively this series.

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Here is the Royals’ full Wild Card Series roster:

Starters: LHP Cole Ragans, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Michael Wacha

Relievers: LHP Kris Bubic, RHP Lucas Erceg, LHP Sam Long, RHP Michael Lorenzen, LHP Daniel Lynch IV, RHP John Schreiber, RHP Brady Singer, LHP Angel Zerpa

Catchers: Perez, Freddy Fermin

Infielders: Witt, Paul DeJong, Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia, Yuli Gurriel, Garrett Hampson, Michael Massey

Outfielders: Dairon Blanco, Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez, Tommy Pham, Hunter Renfroe

Designated hitter: Pasquantino

Because there are only 11 pitchers, Carlos Hernández was left off the roster for the first round with Singer and Lorenzen moving to the bullpen. Alec Marsh started Sunday’s regular-season finale and was left off the roster due to his unavailability for the next couple of days. Will Smith (back spasms) and Chris Stratton (right forearm flexor strain) will continue their rehab programs in case they’re needed at any point.