Vinnie Pasquantino hits grand slam in loss Tuesday

Pasquantino capped off a disappointing campaign for the last-place Royals (69-93) by taking Guardians reliever Austin Peterson deep for a game-winning blast to open the eighth inning. It was his 17th round-tripper of the season. He finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. The 28-year-old first baseman qualifies as one of the most underwhelming fantasy contributors as injuries, including a hamate fracture, limited him to just 114 contests where he hit .249/.333/.428 with 54 runs scored, 17 homers, 63 RBI and five steals. His underlying batted ball metrics, including excellent plate skills, portend a return to mixed-league relevance next season, if he can stay healthy.

Pasquantino’s home run was his 14th of the season. He started the day on the bench, but entered the game in the seventh inning and hit a two-run home run. Pasquantino has five home runs and 13 RBI in 17 games in September. He’s hitting .244 with a .736 OPS and 54 RBI this year.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 28-year-old slugger, which has to be frustrating for fantasy managers as Pasquantino is coming off of two straight two-hit games and has homered twice in his last four contests. Salvador Perez will cover first base in his absence while Luke Maile draws a start behind the dish and will bat eighth against the Pirates.

Pasquantino got the scoring started for the Royals in the first inning when he turned a first-pitch fastball from Paul Skenes into a 410-foot homer to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Pasquantino would strike again in the third inning, this time singling to bring home Kyle Isbel. He would later come around to score on an RBI double by Maikel Garcia to push the Royals’ lead to 4-0 on a night when they were able to get to Paul Skenes early and often. It was a good night for Pasquantino, who has struggled to the tune of a .200/.274/.473 slash line on the month but has still managed to hit four homers while driving in 10 runs.

There haven’t been any rumblings of any physical issues, but this is the second time that Pasquantino has found himself on the bench in the last four games, so it’s possible that he’s battling through a minor injury. Salvador Perez will cover first base in his absence and will bat sixth against Astros’ righty Miguel Ullola.

Pasquantino had struck out twice before taking Bennett Sousa deep for a solo homer in the sixth inning. It was just his second home run off a left-hander all season. The 28-year-old first baseman is up to 12 homers with 49 RBI while hitting .240/.327/.391 across 441 plate appearances.

Pasquantino collected just two hits in the series against the Jays, but both were homers. Today’s was hit 406 feet off Spencer Arrighetti. Pasquantino is hitting .269 with five homers, 13 RBI and only four strikeouts in 18 games since coming off the injured list.

Pasquantino’s home run was his 10th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Blue Jays reliever Michael Lorenzen in the ninth inning. Pasquantino’s .142 ISO is a career-low. He was 1-for-14 in his previous three games entering play Friday, so this home run doesn’t necessarily represent the start of him turning it around. Pasquantino is hitting .241 with a .710 OPS and 43 RBI.

Pasquantino clobbered a 370-foot (95.6-mph EV) two-run shot off of Simeon Woods Richardson in the sixth inning that extended the Royals’ lead to 10-0. He also added on an RBI single in the eighth inning. With his two-hit night, the 28-year-old is now hitting .245/.332/.384 with nine homers and 41 RBI on the year.

Pasquantino smacked a one-out double off of Troy Melton in the fourth inning and scored the game’s first run on an error by Kevin McGonigle. He then led off the sixth inning with a majestic 420-foot (106.4-mph EV) solo shot that increased the Royals’ lead to 3-0. With his two-hit attack, the 28-year-old slugger is now slashing .247/.331/.381 with eight homers and 37 RBI in 357 plate appearances on the season.