KC Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino cleared from shoulder injury. Latest at Winter Meetings

There was a familiar face at the Winter Meetings. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino made an appearance on Monday and provided an update on his shoulder injury.

Pasquantino told reporters he is feeling pain-free and was cleared two weeks ago.

“Yeah, back to full go,” Pasquantino said. “I have been taking groundballs in baseball pants just to feel it again.”

Pasquantino had a long road to recovery. In June, he sustained a torn labrum in his right shoulder and missed the remainder of the 2023 season.

The injury was a major blow. Pasquantino was primed to have a breakout year after hitting .295 with 10 home runs in 72 games during his rookie season.

However, he was not quite right. The shoulder continued to bother him and he decided to get surgery to correct the problem.

“I’m healthy for the first time in a year and a half,” Pasquantino said. “So I don’t have to really do maintenance on it like I did last year. I just had to get it fixed and do (physical therapy) and get it strong. And now we’re gonna go.”

Pasquantino is excited to return to the field. He is on track for spring training and is itching to help the Royals contend in 2024.

“I know the guys were fired up ready to get out to spring,” Pasquantino said. “I’m probably more fired up than most just because it’s been so long. Yeah, ready to just get out there in spring and see what we got. This division is pretty much wide open. So why can’t we go take it?”

Here are a few observations from Day 2 at the Winter Meetings.

Another quiet day in Nashville

The Royals continue to have conversations about free agents at the Winter Meetings. The open market has stalled in recent days. The baseball landscape is awaiting big dominoes to fall — like with Shohei Ohtani.

So far, there has not been a lot of movement around the league. The Royals were still playing the waiting game on Tuesday afternoon.

Playing catch

The Royals are expected to monitor playing time for catchers Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin next season. Perez will be 34 years old next year and recently surpassed 10,000 innings caught in his career. Fermin also played well in an increased role.

It’s likely the Royals will continue with a similar setup as last season.

Perez will draw the majority of the starts with Fermin in a supporting role. However, Royals manager Matt Quatraro mentioned that Perez could cede a few more games at the position.

“We’re open to taking some games away from Salvy behind the plate as much for his own benefit,” Quatraro said. “We know he wants to play another four or five, six years. And he knows as he gets older, you don’t catch 140 games anymore.”

Unlucky in MLB Draft Lottery

The Royals will pick sixth in the 2024 MLB Draft. It’s a surprising outcome after KC had an 18.3% chance — tied for the best odds — to win the No. 1 overall selection.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo was frustrated with the results. The Royals lost a pivotal draft slot that could have financial implications. Teams generally utilize slotted money to strategize in the draft.

The Royals will rely on new scouting director Brian Bridges to identify talented prospects over the next few months.

As for Day 3 of Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 Draft will be the top item on the agenda.