ATLANTA -- It’s been nine years since the Royals last appeared in the postseason, and nine years since they brought the World Series title back to Kansas City for just the second time in franchise history.

In 2024, they defied the odds and will be playing in October, clinching an American League Wild Card spot on Friday night in Atlanta. Now they’re playing Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday against the Orioles.

“Ever since I got drafted here, this has been the goal,” Brady Singer said. “Get to the postseason, get to the World Series. It’s unbelievable. This team is so special. So many winners on this team. All we care about is winning and picking up each other. We’ve been through ups and downs, but we always come back and fight the next day. We’ve had that all year. We’re not done yet.”

Here’s what you need to know to get ready for the Royals’ 2024 postseason run:

When does the postseason start?

All four best-of-three Wild Card Series will occur Tuesday through Thursday.

Who will the Royals face?

As the No. 5 seed, the Royals are headed to Baltimore to face the No. 4-seed Orioles at Camden Yards. The Royals clinched that seed with Sunday’s win over the Braves and the Tigers’ loss to the White Sox. Detroit will play in Houston against the No. 3 seed and AL West champion Astros.

**What time is the game?
**
Game 1 will start at 3:08 p.m. CT on Tuesday, while Game 2 will start at 3:38 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The start time for Game 3 on Thursday, which will only be played if necessary, is TBD.

Who is eligible for the postseason roster?

Any player who was in the organization as of Aug. 31 is eligible, including Minor Leaguers. Yes, that means the Royals’ additions from the waiver wire at the end of August -- Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel and Robbie Grossman -- are available.

Rosters revert to 26 players for the postseason, with a maximum of 13 pitchers, although the Royals have been operating with 13 pitchers for a few weeks now. Rosters are due the morning of Game 1 in each round, which would be Tuesday for the Wild Card Series.

What does the postseason roster look like?

Vinnie Pasquantino is back from a thumb injury he sustained on Aug. 29, a remarkable recovery that took him just five weeks. He is on the roster and among the group of 15 position players the Royals have on their Wild Card Series roster.

That means Kansas City is carrying 11 pitchers. Here is the full roster:

C: Salvador Perez, Freddy Fermin
INF: Bobby Witt Jr., Paul DeJong, Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia, Yuli Gurriel, Garrett Hampson, Michael Massey
OF: Kyle Isbel, Tommy Pham, MJ Melendez, Hunter Renfroe, Dairon Blanco
Starters: LHP Cole Ragans, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Michael Wacha
Relievers: RHP Lucas Erceg, LHP Sam Long, LHP Kris Bubic, LHP Angel Zerpa, RHP John Schreiber, LHP Daniel Lynch IV, RHP Michael Lorenzen, RHP Brady Singer

Who is in the rotation?

Manager Matt Quatraro announced his Wild Card Series rotation on Sunday morning:

Game 1: Ragans
Game 2: Lugo
Game 3 (if necessary): Wacha

And the bullpen?

The Royals will be able to have their high-leverage relievers fresh for the postseason: Erceg, Long and Bubic.

Zerpa, Schreiber and Lynch have pitched their way toward that tier in recent weeks, too.

Along with Lynch, Lorenzen will give the Royals another multi-inning reliever. Singer will also shift to the bullpen after spending the entire year as a starter, Quatraro said.

[Singer will] go to the bullpen,” Quatraro said. “We talked to him about that yesterday. And he’ll be a factor out there. We know what he brings to the table with his ability to get righties out, his ability to compete at a really high level. … We would expect for the velo to go up. Brady’s the ultimate competitor, and I think he’ll rise to that challenge.”

What were the toughest roster decisions?

With Pasquantino returning, the Royals opted to leave off Grossman, who logged just 32 at-bats with the Royals and hit .125. The Royals still went with 15 position players, though, because of the way Quatraro likes to use his bench throughout games.

That means they took 11 pitchers, and with Singer and Lorenzen headed to the bullpen, Alec Marsh -- who started Sunday’s regular-season finale and threw 77 pitches -- and Carlos Hernandez did not make the first-round cut. Hernandez posted a 3.30 ERA this season, including allowing four runs (three earned) across 11 1/3 innings in September.

Which injured players could return for the postseason?

The X-factor here is Pasquantino, who did everything he could to get his thumb healed and get back in time for October. Getting his bat back in the lineup will do wonders for an offense trying to get on track.

The Royals did not put injured relievers Will Smith (back spasms) and Chris Stratton (right forearm flexor strain) on the roster. Smith faced live hitters recently, but the Royals kept their bullpen intact from the end of the regular season. Both are still around, though, and will continue their rehab programs to be ready if needed.