Tuesday, September 09

KANSAS CITY -- As Carter Jensen, the Royals' No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, fielded questions Saturday night about his first MLB hit -- how it felt when the ball found the outfield grass, hustling out the double and getting an RBI on top of that -- he answered the one that players always get: What will you do with the milestone ball?

Jensen plans on putting his in a case and giving it to his parents, Kim and Jim Jensen.

“We’re going to case it up and probably give it to my parents, so I don’t find a way to lose it,” Jensen said.

At that moment, Vinnie Pasquantino walked by Jensen’s locker.

“He doesn’t really have a choice,” Pasquantino chimed in. “He’s living at home.”

Jensen laughed and nodded.

“True, yeah,” Jensen said. “They’ll have it and find a spot for it.”

That’s one more chapter in what has been an amazing Major League callup story. Jensen is a Kansas City native and graduated from Park Hill High School, about 22 miles northwest of Kauffman Stadium. His family still lives in the area, so when Jensen was called up last week for his Major League debut as rosters expanded to 28 players in September, his family already had plenty of Royals gear to throw on.

And Jensen got to go home. 

He stayed with his parents for most of his first week in the big leagues, making the drive to work at The K every day -- the very same ballpark he grew up attending games at as a kid. Jensen plans on moving in with his teammate, Jac Caglianone, which will shorten the commute. But Jensen has a place to store his things, at least, with his parents.

And the first-hit ball will definitely go to the house.

“They have all my accolades and trophies,” Jensen said. “We’ll put it with the others.”

The Jensen family was in the stands for his first game, when Jensen got a pinch-hit opportunity last Tuesday. They were there for his first start on Thursday. And they were there on Saturday, when he smoked a double off Twins reliever Thomas Hatch into right field.

“I’m really happy for Carter,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “To get that first one -- he had the walk the other day, but to get the first hit, two RBIs, getting in there to catch as well. Start checking some things off to make him feel more comfortable up there. We feel pretty confident he’s going to hit. He’s always hit.”

Captain Salvador Perez led the charge to get the ball back, erupting in a cheer when Jensen slid in safely and calling for the ball at the top step of the dugout. When Jensen ran into the dugout at the end of the inning, Perez was the first one to meet him at the dugout, patting the top of his head with a big smile.

And that’s another unbelievable moment in Jensen’s journey. The 22-year-old Jensen grew up a Royals fan. He was in the stands during Game 6 of the 2014 World Series. As a catcher, Perez was Jensen’s idol.

Now they’re teammates trying to help Kansas City back to the postseason. Both know how much October baseball means to the city.

“It’s really cool,” Jensen said. “I grew up with him as my idol. To see him really excited for me, it tells you a lot about how he is as a person. I know everybody knows he’s an amazing person, as well as an amazing player. It was a lot of fun coming back in and waiting for me, telling me, ‘Congrats,’ and giving me a pat on the head. Lot of fun.”

On Wednesday against the Angels, Michael Massey slotted into the lineup playing left field, while Adam Frazier was at second base. On Thursday, for the series finale, the two flipped positions -- Massey at second base, Frazier in left.

The rationale for the switch is why we might see the latter positioning more often when both Massey and Frazier are in the lineup, at least for right now.

“We’re trying to minimize the amount of running that Massey’s doing from the ankle, and also maximizing Frazier’s [versatility],” Quatraro said. “Frazier’s more of the ‘utility’ -- he can play left, right, third, second. Massey would just be left and second. So in this case, we’re trying to simplify things a little bit.”

Massey went on the injured list in June with a left ankle sprain. His recovery lasted two months because he also had to deal with a hairline wrist fracture and back tightness. But it seems like the Royals are still being cautious with the 27-year-old, at least in terms of workload.

Playing Massey more at second is possible with Jonathan India on the 10-day IL with a left wrist sprain, so this alignment could change once India is back.

For the 10th consecutive year, MLB and all 30 clubs raised awareness for childhood cancer in home ballparks on Sunday. At Kauffman Stadium, all on-field personnel wore gold ribbon decals during Sunday’s game and had the option to wear gold wristbands.

The Royals welcomed back one of their local childhood cancer nonprofit partners, Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer. They recognized 30 of Braden Hope’s “Hope Heroes" on the field during a pregame ceremony. During the middle of the fourth inning, the Royals had a sign-holding moment where all fans, players, coaches, umpires and staff held up signs with a name written on them to honor someone in their life who has battled or is battling cancer.

I have gladly welcomed September with open arms because it’s the most fun part of the baseball regular season and the insanity of college football returns.

So I don’t want to end this newsletter without a good ol’ M-I-Z after the return of the Border War this weekend and a wild Kansas-Mizzou game in Columbia, Mo. Glad it’s back. And very glad for the Tigers’ comeback.

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