Vinnie Pasquantino is speaking out after his Royals teammate’s bedtime blunder.
In the wake of 22-year-old catcher Carter Jensen being scratched from Thursday’s lineup for oversleeping ahead of an eventual 5-1 home loss to the Twins, Pasquantino said he and the club are just “glad Carter’s okay” as the budding MLB pro looks to learn from this moment and move forward.
“First and foremost, we’re glad Carter’s okay. That was kind of the initial thought of trying to get a hold of his parents, everything like that to just to make sure everything’s okay, but once you find out everything’s okay, it’s like, it’s alright, it’s a growing moment,” Kansas City’s first baseman, 28, told reporters after the game.
“He’s really young. There are some things that cannot happen and that’s one of them, so, he’s going to have to wear it on the chin, the same way anybody would have to so, it can’t happen, and hopefully it doesn’t happen again. But, it’s one of those things you can’t afford mistakes like that in this game, so, just got to move forward the best he can. I know he feels really bad. I know it was not his favorite drive to the field this morning, but it wasn’t our favorite morning either, trying to figure out what was going on. He’ll learn from it, grow up a little bit and we’re here for him, though, it’s not like anybody’s mad at him, things happen, and you got to learn from mistakes like that and maybe get another alarm clock or something at home.”
Pasquantino, who has played for the Royals since 2022, credited veteran catcher Salvador Perez for stepping up on short notice, as he was set to be a designated hitter in Thursday’s game at Kauffman Stadium.
“You got a 36-year-old catcher preparing to DH today, and then his world gets a little rocked an hour and a half before the game that he’s not going to be DHing,” Pasquantino said. “Credit to Salvy today for being ready.”
Jensen took full accountability for the oversight and vowed, “It won’t happen again.”
“No running from it,” he said. “Just didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it. Don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. Happens. I felt like I let my teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”
The Royals’ third-round pick in 2021, Jensen made his MLB debut last September and appeared in 20 games. He tallied 12 runs and three homers.
Kansas City is currently second in the AL Central at 3-3. The Royals’ three-game series against the Brewers begins Friday at home.
