Royals place 1B Vinnie Pasquantino on IL with fractured hamate in right hand

Vinnie Pasquantino became the second AL Central slugger to suffer a fractured hamate bone in his right hand on Saturday.

>The Kansas City Royals first baseman left Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Houston Astros in the fifth inning after popping out to third base.

>Following the popout, Pasquantino appeared to be in obvious pain as he returned to the dugout. He soon went into the dugout tunnel toward the clubhouse without being checked by a trainer. The team announced that he would not return after suffering a right hand/hamate injury.

>The injury occurred on the same day that Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez sustained a fractured hamate in his left hand.

>Pasquantino was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, but he will likely miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery.

>New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday each sustained similar injuries during spring training and took at least a month to return to the lineup. Carroll required about a month to recover, while Holliday took longer.

>Pasquantino has a .224/.309/.350 slash average with 6 home runs, 10 doubles and 32 RBI. After poor production in April (.165 average, .595 OPS), the five-year veteran was improving in June with a .298/.365/.426 line.

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>Jac Caglianone took over at first base after Pasquantino left Saturday’s game and he’s getting the start at that position on Sunday. He played 10 games there as a rookie last season and five so far this year. Caglianone was primarily a first baseman in college, playing 85 games at first in two seasons at Florida.

Cole Ragans suffer setback in return from injuryLeft-hander Cole Ragans appeared to be on course to return to the Royals’ rotation soon. But he suffered a setback in his recovery from left elbow impingement after throwing a bullpen session.

>It’s the second time Ragans hasn’t recovered well following an outing during his rehab assignment. Following a rehab start on May 23, his left elbow didn’t feel right and he didn’t throw until this past Wednesday. Ragans has been on the IL since May 7.

>The Royals put pitcher Seth Lugo on the 7-day concussion IL earlier this week after he took a line drive to the head in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Texas Rangers.