Pasquantino 'plans on playing' on Opening Day, but KC may be cautious

ARLINGTON -- Vinnie Pasquantino’s readiness for Opening Day is still unclear after he suffered a Grade 1-plus right hamstring strain Saturday, but he’s doing everything he can to ensure he’s in the lineup when the Royals open the 2025 season at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday.

After hitting in the cages Monday, Pasquantino went through pregame activity Tuesday, fielding ground balls and participating in batting practice, before the Royals won their exhibition finale, 3-1, over the Rangers at Globe Life Field.

Everything checked out well, so how Pasquantino responds Wednesday when the Royals get back to Kansas City will be the main factor in determining whether he will begin the season on the injured list or on the Opening Day roster. He’ll go through another full workout as long as he doesn’t have increased soreness on Wednesday.

But make no mistake: The Royals’ first baseman has his mind set on the latter.

“I plan on playing on Thursday,” Pasquantino said Monday afternoon before the Royals' 6-3 loss to the Rangers. “That’s just me saying that, though. But that’s my plan.”

That was still the plan by Tuesday, too, although there’s more that goes into it than Pasquantino’s words. The Royals and Pasquantino must decide the balance of pushing him to be ready for Thursday -- given his importance to the lineup -- or proceeding slowly to increase the probability he doesn’t reinjure himself by coming back quicker than he should.

“He’s progressing," manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday afternoon. “He gave us nothing today to feel concerned, or more concerned, than we were prior to today.”

A Grade 1 hamstring strain is a mild muscle pull/strain, while a Grade 2 is a partial muscle tear. Grade 1-plus is somewhere in between. Pasquantino’s injury is right in the middle of his right hamstring, so there are a lot of muscles surrounding and helping it.

“You’ve got to be smart with it,” Pasquantino said. “If I can’t do it, I won’t. I’ll only be out there if I can.”

Pasquantino isn’t a speed player -- his main priority is driving in runs -- so a hamstring strain doesn’t hinder him as much as it would someone whom the Royals rely on to steal bases.

So Pasquantino could be the designated hitter to begin the season, making the addition of veteran first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha late last week even more important. Salvador Perez is considered the Royals’ main backup first baseman on the days he doesn’t catch, so he could fill in, too.

And the Royals are expected to select the contract of Cavan Biggio on Thursday to round out their bench, so the utilityman can also play first base like he did Tuesday.

The Royals are also off on Friday, which will help Pasquantino’s recovery. However, the Royals could back-date a 10-day IL stint three days (to March 24) if they place him on the IL on Opening Day, meaning he could come back April 2. That would mean he would miss the first six games.

“We haven’t talked about that, him and I, but I think he would understand the balance there,” Quatraro said Monday. “But that being said, it doesn’t mean he has to play all six games right out of the gate. If we find a day that’s good to bring him off the bench or just give him a day’s rest, and we can work it that way, we’ll try to consider that as well.

“I feel pretty good. He feels pretty good. We think it’s one of those things where he’s not a speed guy, so if he can tolerate baseball activity tomorrow, that would be a big step forward.”

Pasquantino also stood in the box for Cole Ragans’ bullpen session on Monday because Pasquantino didn't want to lose his timing. He has personal experience with how hard it is to get timing back after a layoff -- something he had to do last October when he returned for the postseason after breaking his right thumb.

“It’s shorter than the last time I was hurt, but that wasn’t the most fun,” Pasquantino said.

Being able to swing pain-free will be his biggest test to see if he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

“That’s kind of what I provide for this team,” Pasquantino said. “If I can’t swing, it’ll be tough. But all swings have been good so far today. All signs look good from my end -- again, just speaking from me.

“... No promises, but we’ll see what happens. I’m doing everything I can to get out there Thursday.”

Rotation set

The Royals set their rotation order for the first five games, with Ragans starting it off on Thursday as the Opening Day starter against the Guardians.

Seth Lugo will follow on Saturday, and Michael Wacha, who started Monday night’s exhibition game, will close out the three-game set against Cleveland.

Kris Bubic will open the Royals’ road series against the Brewers on March 31 in Milwaukee, and Michael Lorenzen will round it out on April 1. The Royals wanted to avoid having Ragans and Bubic, two lefties, go back to back in the order.

Bubic will start Tuesday’s exhibition game in Arlington. Lorenzen stayed back in Arizona to stay on turn and pitch Wednesday in a Minor League game.