Vinnie Pasquantino Injury: 3 potential replacements for the Royals first baseman

The Kansas City Royals received some news considering the health of slugging first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino on Friday. He suffered a fractured right thumb following a collision at first base during the club's matchup against the Houston Astros on Thursday.

Pasquantino is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks, which is a major blow to the Royals as they look to punch their tickets to the postseason. Now, given the amount of time he is set to miss, the team will need to pivot. Let's look at three intriguing options Kansas City can consider.

3 replacements for Vinnie Pasquantino that the Royals could consider

#1. Nick Pratto

The most likely route for the club to consider would be an internal promotion. This is where Nick Pratto enters the picture. Although Pratto has struggled this season in Triple-A, he may be the most obvious choice to earn a promotion in the wake of Pasquantino's injury. Despite his struggles, Pratto has appeared in 144 major league games, so his experience could make him a natural choice.

#2. Thairo Estrada

In one of the most shocking moves of the week, the San Francisco Giants decided to place Thairo Estrada, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Matzek on waivers. If the Kansas City Royals were looking for a proven infielder, they could look to acquire Estrada from the Giants. While they would be on the hook for the remainder of his 2024 salary, they could move on from him in the offseason.

#3. Tommy Pham

Although Tommy Pham, who is set to be placed on waivers, will not help Kansas City at first base directly, he could be an instant boost to the lineup. If the Royals add Pham, they could get creative with the defensive versatility of Salvador Perez or MJ Melendez.

While Tommy Pham continues to work his way across the MLB, he remains an effective hitter at the MLB level. Pham could provide the Royals with some quality at-bats as they look to make a potentially deep postseason run. Pham's addition might force the club to shuffle their lineup a bit. However, losing a quality hitter such as Vinnie Pasquantino is never ideal at this stage of the season.