Things can always get worse, but they can't get much worse for the Kansas City Royals.
Already owners of the worst winning percentage in baseball entering play on Wednesday, the Royals have now lost young slugger Vinnie Pasquantino for the season.
He was placed on the injured list this weekend with a shoulder issue and now will end up needing surgery.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
The Royals announced Wednesday that Pasquantino (shoulder) will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
ANALYSIS
The 25-year-old was diagnosed with right shoulder discomfort Friday and was placed on the 10-day injured list a day later before follow-up tests evidently revealed a more serious injury. Pasquantino will inevitably be moved to 60-day IL in the near future, which will open a spot on the 40-man roster. He finishes his 2023 season having produced a .247 batting average with nine home runs, 26 RBI and 24 runs scored over 259 plate appearances in 61 games.
That's a terrible thing for both player and team. Pasquantino misses out on valuable reps and at-bats while the Royals miss out on watching him develop.
At 18-49, the Royals season is not about winning games, it's about developing like players like him and Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt is doing great things thus far but this is a major organizational setback.
The Royals will play the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 8:10 p.m. ET.
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