KC Royals lose slugger before final round

The Royals announced Friday morning that Pasquantino, 26, is expected to be out for six to eight weeks with a broken right thumb. Further testing will be conducted Friday, the team said on social media.

In the eighth inning of a 6-3 loss to the host Houston Astros, Erceg was injured while attempting to field a hard-hit chopper from Yainer Diaz with his bare hand back to the mound. On the same play, Pasquantino’s attempt to field the pitch forced his arm into the path of the runner, where he collided with Diaz.

Both players were immediately removed from the game.

Pasquantino, 26, was drafted in the 11th round by Kansas City in 2019 and spent parts of the past two seasons in the majors before establishing himself as the No. 3 hitter in the Royals’ lineup for most of this season. He is hitting .262 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs and has a career batting average of .267 with 38 homers and 149 RBIs.