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Sept. 26: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino (right broken thumb) takes batting practice on field
Not often do teams hit on the field before a day game, but a few Royals hitters got in some rounds of BP on Thursday morning at Nationals Park, including one very notable player: Pasquantino. Four weeks after the first baseman broke his right thumb on a defensive play, he was sending quite a few balls over the fence while hitting off a pitching machine before Kansas City's series finale in D.C. Pasquantino has been hitting in the cages, and the Royals have been introducing more and more baseball activity this week based on how Pasquantino feels.

Pasquantino took five rounds off the machine on Thursday, hitting curveballs in the first round and fastballs in the final four. After each round, Pasquantino ran the bases.

When Pasquantino got hurt, there was optimism he could be ready for October baseball, although it's unclear when in October he'd be ready. But the progress seen recently is extremely encouraging.

Sept. 25: RHP Michael Lorenzen (lower body fatigue) exits with trainer in third inning
After coming off the 15-day injured list on Wednesday to start against the Nationals, Lorenzen was slated to have a limit on the number of pitches and innings he threw because the righty was unable to get fully built up as a starter during recovery from his left hamstring strain that he suffered on Aug. 27.

In the third inning Wednesday, Lorenzen felt the fatigue settle in with his leg, and he motioned to the Royals’ dugout for a trainer. That kind of fatigue is normal for a pitcher working his way back from injury, and Lorenzen is trying all he can to help the Royals out in the final week of their postseason push. So when he felt that fatigue come, he exited with head athletic trainer Kyle Turner after 2 1/3 innings and 28 pitches. Reliever Daniel Lynch IV was already warming up in the bullpen.

“I could tell my leg reached its limit, and I didn’t want to push it,” Lorenzen said. “We’re so close to getting to where we want to be, and I feel like the value of me being available for that is more important than me trying to push through something. I could tell I’d reach my limit, and it was hard to make that decision, but I felt like it was the right decision.

“... As I’m warming up in the first two innings, you don’t feel anything at all, you just feel normal. And then you just start to feel the leg have to work. That tells me it’s fatiguing a little bit, and that’s really the only difference. I go from zero thought about it to, ‘OK, I can feel it working a little bit.’ Then, ‘OK, it’s at its end for the day, so we’ll call it a day and live to fight another one.’”

Depending on how he feels Thursday after meeting with the staff, Lorenzen should be able to help the Royals from the bullpen this weekend.

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

1B Vinnie Pasquantino (broken right thumb)
Expected return: October
Pasquantino broke his right thumb while reaching for a wild throw at first base on Aug. 29 in Houston. The Royals' first baseman had a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks as the bone heals, according to the team. At the four-week mark of that timeline, scans showed that Pasquantino was healing properly, and he has begun to reintroduce baseball activity into his rehab process. That included five rounds of batting practice off a pitching machine on Sept. 26 at Nationals Park. (Last updated: Sept. 26)

RHP Hunter Harvey (mid-back tightness)
Expected return: 2025
After seven weeks of hoping Harvey could get back and be a big part of the bullpen like the Royals had planned when they acquired him in July, the Royals finally shut Harvey down for the season on Sept. 24. The right-handed reliever hadn't been progressing well and continued to feel symptoms in his back after every throwing session. Acquired from the Nationals for prospect Cayden Wallace and a 2024 Draft pick, Harvey appeared in just six games for the Royals this season, allowing four runs across 5 2/3 innings.

The 29-year-old does have another year of team control left, so he will likely figure into the Royals' bullpen plans for 2025. (Last updated: Sept. 25)

RHP James McArthur (right elbow sprain)
Expected return: 2025
McArthur was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow tightness on Sept. 17 with the Royals hoping that a week of rest would help him get right for October. On Sept. 24, though, the Royals officially shut McArthur down for the year with a stress reaction in his elbow. The injury is going to require more rest than the Royals have games left, no matter how far they go in the postseason, so McArthur's season ended with 18 saves and a 4.92 ERA in 57 games (56 2/3 innings).

"We didn't think it was the right thing for him or the longevity of his career to try to force [him] back quickly," manager Matt Quatraro said. "He needs rest for it to go away." (Last updated: Sept. 24)

LHP Will Smith (low back spasms)
Expected return: October
After being placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 26 with a back injury, it took Smith a while to be symptom-free, but he's progressing well now and could be back for October baseball. The lefty reliever threw one simulated inning against hitters on Sept. 21 at Kauffman Stadium and is scheduled for another session during the week of Sept. 24., but the exact day will be dependent on the rain that's peppering the East Coast. (Last updated: Sept. 24)

RHP Chris Stratton (right forearm flexor strain)
Expected return: Potentially October
Stratton had been dealing with forearm soreness for "a couple of months," according to Royals manager Matt Quatraro, when the Royals placed him on the 15-day IL. Further imaging showed a Grade 1 flexor strain, but after a week of rest, Stratton began playing catch on Sept. 24. (Last updated: Sept. 24)

60-DAY INJURED LIST

LHP Josh Taylor (left arm/biceps nerve injury)
Expected return: September
Taylor felt soreness when he was warming up for his Cactus League outing on March 17 and was shut down afterward with left biceps soreness. The lefty reliever was diagnosed with a musculocutaneous nerve injury and transferred to the 60-day IL in April. Taylor was shut down for a while and did not begin throwing until July.

He began a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sept. 7 and transferred to Triple-A Omaha on Sept. 15. The Royals will take his game progression slowly given how much time he has had off, but the club is optimistic about seeing him on the mound. (Last updated: Sept. 16)

RHP Kyle Wright (right shoulder surgery)
Expected return: 2025
The Royals traded for Wright in November in exchange for Jackson Kowar knowing Wright was coming off shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. They made the move thinking ahead a year, foreseeing how Wright, who will be 29 in '25, could help after he led the Majors with 21 wins and posted a 3.19 ERA in '22.

Pitchers who have this procedure typically take a year to return, and Wright is rehabbing in Kansas City and remains on track to have a normal, non-rehabbing offseason later this year. (Last updated: Aug. 5)

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