Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino gets huge update after injury scare

As Kansas City Royals star Vinnie Pasquantino exited Tuesday’s opener against the Athletics, which resulted in a 4-1 win, there have been updates on the first baseman’s status. While it’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Royals, the last thing the team needs is a long injured list (IL) stint for Pasquantino, though general manager JJ Picollo provides an update that is a sigh of relief.

Having left the game due to low back tightness, Picollo would say to the media that a trip to the IL is not expected, according to Cody Tapp.

“JJ Picollo told us he does not expect any IL trip for Vinnie Pasquantino and that he is day to day,” Tapp wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Having seen 19 combined pitches in his first two at-bats, the sixth inning saw him ground out, where he showed signs of pain, as it’s apparently been a situation the team and Pasquantino have been managing for a bit. Manager Matt Quatraro would say that Pasquantino will be treated as “day-to-day.”

“It’s day to day, but for whatever reason, today, it acted up a little bit more,” Quatraro said, via MLB.com. “It’s just more – anybody that’s ever had that low back [pain], sometimes it flares up, and you don’t really know why.”

Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino doesn’t want to push the injury

Pasquantino would speak on having trouble “getting out of my swing and running to first” on the aforementioned at-bat, as he has been trying to find his footing in 2026. He currently holds a .167 batting average to go along with three home runs and 14 RBIs, as he expresses wanting to play, but not wanting to push it.

“Pushing to play,” Pasquantino said. “It’s April. Got to be smart. Pushing for the long haul. See how I feel when I wake up. Probably go see the trainers in the morning, maybe get in the pool or something like that. See how I feel, see if I can get it to loosen up and go from there.”

It remains to be seen when Pasquantino returns to play for the Royals.