The Royals may be headed for one more lift before the week is over, and it comes with two familiar names. Matt Quatraro said Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow, after both sat out Sunday but continued working out and were set to be checked again afterward.
“Both Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia are not playing today but are working out and will see how they feel after,” Jack Janes wrote on Sunday on X. “Quatraro said if they’re feeling good, there’s a chance they can rejoin the Royals tomorrow.”
Pasquantino has been sidelined since July 29 with right wrist soreness, and that came after he’d already missed about a month because of a right hamate fracture. Garcia’s absence has stretched much longer; lingering hand problems led to muscle strains and an IL placement on June 23.
Neither player has produced the kind of season Royals fans were hoping for. Pasquantino owns an 84 wRC+, while Garcia sits at 92 wRC+. Even so, both remain important pieces when they’re right, and their return would give Kansas City at least something meaningful to watch in a season that has largely slipped away.
There’s better news coming from the farm, too. MLB Pipeline bumped the Royals up to 19th in its latest midseason rankings, their best placement in two years and the first time they’ve cracked the Top 20 since midseason 2024.
The rise has been fueled by a wave of teenage talent, with Kendry Chourio, Josh Hammond and Angeibel Gomez drawing the most attention. Pipeline highlighted that trio in its writeup, saying, “All three Top 100 prospects above are 19 or younger, and they could become mainstays in that upper echelon for a few more years yet,” and adding, “Gomez, in particular, has a rocket ship attached to his name with a strong pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, and his first stateside campaign will be highly anticipated in 2027.”
Gomez has been electric in the DSL, hitting .360 with a 1.133 OPS and 159 wRC+ in 45 games. Hammond has posted a .297 average, .770 OPS, 105 wRC+ and 22 steals in 101 games in Low-A Columbia. Chourio, meanwhile, is coming off Midwest League Pitcher of the Month honors for July and has put together a combined 2.20 ERA and 0.88 WHIP between High-A Quad Cities and Columbia.
And in a familiar-name note, Carlos Santana is back on the market. Jeff Passan reported Sunday that the former Royals first baseman was granted his release from Triple-A Gwinnett and will become a free agent.
“Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana will be granted his release from Triple-A Gwinnett today and will be a free agent, sources tell ESPN. He's still looking to play and hopes to latch on with a team after hitting .292/.385/.382 with a pair of home runs in 104 plate appearances.”
Santana’s season started rough, with an eight-game stint and a -23 wRC+ for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He then found his footing with Atlanta’s Triple-A club, batting .292 with a .767 OPS and 108 wRC+ in 104 plate appearances, while also showing the same plate discipline that has defined his career. He finished that stretch with a 12.5% walk rate, a sub-20% strikeout rate and 18 RBI across 27 games.
During his two seasons with Kansas City from 2021 to 2022, Santana hit .215/.326/.341 with 23 homers and 90 RBI in 210 games. Where he lands next is still unclear, but after the work he put in at Gwinnett, he figures to draw another look.
In Other News...
Royals Just Made A Telling Decision On A Veteran Outfield Bet
The Royals reshaped their roster by bringing in fresh arms and infield help, recalling left-hander Connor Thomas while making room with a pair of Triple-A moves. Josh Rojas and Jose Cuas were optioned to Omaha as Kansas City continued to sort through a roster that has had to absorb injuries and patch holes while trying to stay competitive into the season.
The more telling move came in the outfield, where Starling Marte was designated for assignment after a disappointing run in his lone season in Kansas City. Signed to a one-year deal, Marte never gave the Royals the kind of return they were hoping for, and the decision suggests the club is ready to move on quickly rather than keep waiting for a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Clear Space As Recent Pitching Addition Nears Abrupt Exit
The Diamondbacks made a roster move this week that could close the door on Andrew Hoffmanns time in Arizona. The right-hander was designated for assignment as the club created room on the 40-man roster for Justin Martnez, who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Hoffmann had not established himself in the majors and was already on the minor league injured list when Arizona made the move.
Hoffmann arrived from Kansas City over a year ago in the deal that sent Randal Grichuk to the Royals, but the path forward now looks bleak. Because he is injured and the trade deadline has already passed, Arizona cannot simply send him outright to the minors, which means the next step is expected to be release waivers. For a pitcher brought in as part of a notable swap, it is a abrupt turn that underscores how quickly roster churn can erase a once-promising fit. [Read more 🡒]