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Aug. 30: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino placed on 10-day injured list (right thumb fracture); INF Nick Loftin recalled
Pasquantino was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday after breaking his right thumb Thursday night, the Royals announced Friday afternoon. The first baseman, who is looking to have surgery early next week, is seeking at a six-to-eight week timeline to return, manager Matt Quatraro said Friday.

“Vinnie’s got a fractured right thumb that will require surgery, which is likely to happen early next week,” Quatraro said. “The timetable they say is six to eight weeks. You never know. You have to see how it goes when they get in there and execute the surgery.”

Pasquantino was trying to make a catch on a wild throw by Lucas Erceg in the eighth inning Thursday night, colliding with Yainer Diaz at first base. Pasquantino immediately threw his glove to the ground and walked around in obvious pain. He exited and had X-rays taken on his hand.

Pasquantino was hitting .262 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs this season.

The Royals recalled Loftin from Triple-A Omaha to take Pasquantino’s place on the roster. Loftin is batting .199 with 13 RBIs in 55 games this season with the Royals. In 46 games with the Storm Chasers, Loftin is batting .331 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.

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10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST

1B Vinnie Pasquantino (right thumb fracture)
Expected return: Possibly postseason
Pasquantino was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 30 after breaking his right thumb on Aug. 29. The first baseman, who is looking to have surgery early during the week of Sept. 2, is seeking a six-to-eight week timeline to return, manager Matt Quatraro said on Aug. 30. (Last updated: Aug. 30)

OF Hunter Renfroe (right hamstring strain)
Expected return: Early September
On Aug. 29, manager Matt Quatraro said that Renfroe started running and doing a full workout on Aug. 28. The Royals placed Renfroe on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 25 after he felt something while running in the outfield on Aug. 24 against the Phillies.

Quatraro said Renfroe had been dealing with general back and leg soreness before the IL stint, but it was not considered serious. The club does not believe Renfroe will be out long. It's possible he returns after the 10-day minimum, but a move was necessary because the Royals were slated to play 14 games in 13 days starting on Aug. 25. (Last updated: Aug. 29)

RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain)
Expected return: September
Lorenzen strained his hamstring on Aug. 27 against the Guardians while covering first base and stretching out to try and complete a double play. He stayed in the game and struck out Lane Thomas but left during the next at-bat. An MRI on Aug. 28 confirmed a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and the Royals placed Lorenzen on the 15-day IL. They'll be tapping into their pitching depth to fill his spot in the rotation until he can come back, which could be a two- to three-week timeline. (Last updated: Aug. 28)

LHP Will Smith (low back spasms)
Expected return: September
Smith had been dealing with back issues for a few weeks prior to the Royals placing him on the IL on Aug. 26. He had been trying to pitch through it, but it was directly impacting him on the mound. The spasms got worse after throwing back-to-back days against the Phillies on Aug. 24 and 25, when he allowed seven runs across two innings. The Royals want Smith fresh for the last month of the season, so a reset on the IL could help.

“We’re going to try to take the time to get that right so we can have him out there like we’d like, getting big outs against lefties late in the season," Quatraro said. (Last updated: Aug. 26)

RHP Hunter Harvey (mid-back tightness)
Expected return: Early September
Harvey felt something pull in his back while participating in his normal pregame routine on Aug. 5, and the Royals tried to stay away from using one of their high-leverage arms the rest of the week. After he was unavailable on Aug. 9 against the Cardinals and the bullpen had to cover 4 2/3 innings, the club put Harvey on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 7, to refresh their 'pen.

Harvey suffered a setback in his rehab program on Aug. 20 when he had to receive a cortisone injection because his back wasn't loosening up as much as he or the Royals would have liked to see at that point. After a few days of no activity, Harvey was cleared by the team doctors to play catch on Aug. 24. He will continue to progress with his throwing program with the hope of returning to Kansas City's bullpen in the next couple of weeks. (Last updated: Aug. 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 placed on the 60-day IL in April. Taylor was shut down for a while and did not begin throwing until July.

But now, Taylor is on a normal progression to ramp up back into pitching shape, getting ready to begin live bullpen sessions. It will still be a good amount of time before he is ready for a big league return after that long of a layoff, but the Royals hope to get Taylor on the mound by the end of the season. (Last updated: Aug. 27)

RHP Dan Altavilla (right lat strain)
Expected return: September
Altavilla threw an elevated fastball to A's leadoff hitter Max Schuemann on June 19 and immediately grimaced in pain while grabbing his side. Altavilla exited a few moments later with a trainer, was placed on the 15-day IL on June 20 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 5 to make room on the 40-man roster.

After Altavilla was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain, Quatraro described the injury as a lat strain. Altavilla began a rehab assignment on Aug. 6 with Triple-A Omaha. (Last updated: Aug. 9)

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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