Royals Rookie Carter Jensen Scratched from Lineup After Oversleeping

Ever have one of those mornings where the alarm clock just doesn’t do its job? For Kansas City Royals rookie catcher Carter Jensen, that was the case on Thursday. Scheduled to start in the afternoon finale against the Minnesota Twins, Jensen was a late scratch from the lineup, leaving fans and reporters scratching their heads when he was later spotted warming up on the field.

The 22-year-old admitted he simply overslept, taking full responsibility for the mix-up. After entering the game in the ninth inning as a replacement for Salvador Perez, who was pulled for a pinch runner, Jensen faced the media and owned up to his mistake. “No running from it,” he said. “Just didn’t wake up to my alarm, slept through it. Don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. You know, it sucks, and it happens. I felt I let my teammates down, coaches down. I’ll just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”

Jensen’s misstep prompted veteran teammate Vinnie Pasquantino to reveal that the team even attempted to contact Jensen’s parents to ensure he was okay. “You got a 36-year-old catcher who’s preparing to DH today, then his world gets a little rocked that an hour and a half before the game, he’s not going to be DHing,” Pasquantino explained. “First and foremost, we are glad that Carter is OK. But once you find out he’s OK, it’s like, ‘Alright, it’s a growing moment.’”

The veteran acknowledged the importance of learning from such experiences. “He’s really young, there are some things that cannot happen, and that’s one of them,” Pasquantino added. “So he’s going to have to wear it on the chin, the same way anyone would have to. You just can’t afford mistakes like that in this game.”

Reflecting on the incident, Jensen humorously noted, “This is embarrassing, but I need at least 6 to 8 alarms. It’s not good.” The Royals’ social media team had previously shared videos during spring training featuring players discussing their wake-up routines, making this episode even more ironic.

Fortunately for Jensen, his absence from the lineup was not due to an injury or any serious issue, and he is expected to bounce back from this rookie mistake. Fans can only hope he invests in a reliable alarm clock and learns from this experience, perhaps even facing a light-hearted fine in the team’s kangaroo court.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.