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Despite outscoring the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> 21-9 in three games last week, the\u00a0Kansas City Royals<\/a>\u00a0have struggled to replicate that same firepower against the New York Mets<\/a> and Baltimore Orioles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Staring down a 3-2 deficit in Friday night’s opener against Baltimore, Isaac Collins<\/a> tied the game in the eighth inning, launching a 96-mph four-seam fastball to center field. Samuel Basallo<\/a> refused to give in though, launching a two-run homer that same inning to hand Kansas City<\/a> their third-straight loss.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n However, Pasquantino’s return to action in tonight’s matchup may provide the spark that the Royals need to get back in the win column just in time before the MLB All-Star Break.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Kansas City Royals (@Royals) on X<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Kansas City Royals (@Royals) on X<\/span> Saturday night in Charm City.<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n Prior to suffering a hamate bone fracture in his right hand on June 13, the 28-year-old first baseman logged hits in eight-consecutive games while tallying a home run and seven RBIs in June.<\/p>\n During the season as a whole, Pasquantino has batted .224 while logging 57 hits, 32 RBI, 32 walks and six home runs. His walk and RBI figures rank fourth and fifth-highest on the team, respectively.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Quatraro expressed excitement for Pasquantino’s return, praising his resiliency and work ethic during the rehab process.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go through injuries, a lot of it is the mindset,\u201d Quatraro said, according to<\/a> MLB.com.<\/span> \u201cRight away, Vinnie’s goal is to get back as quickly as possible. We saw him do that when he had that really\u00a0bad thumb injury<\/a>\u00a0[in 2024]. He is a guy that knows how to deal with the mental part of it, which is just as big as the physical.\u201d<\/p>\n Pasquantino himself added that the journey has not only been about his recovery, but also putting the team in the best position possible for success.<\/p>\n \u201cI owe it to my teammates, the organization, the fans, everybody to get back as soon as I can, as healthy as I can,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of how I approach these things. We obviously wouldn\u2019t do it if I didn\u2019t feel comfortable or they didn\u2019t feel comfortable. It\u2019s one of those things where I think I can help this team win, and I\u2019m going to do whatever I can to do my part.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In his recent stint with Triple-A Omaha, Pasquantino went 4-for-11 at the plate with three walks and struck out twice during the three games that he played this week.<\/p>\n