Kansas City Royals’ rookie catcher Carter Jensen was brutally removed from the team’s starting lineup for Thursday’s game with the Minnesota Twins… after he overslept and turned up late.
The unusual circumstances unfolded ahead of the Royals’ 5-1 loss at Kauffman Stadium, and led to the team’s designated hitter Salvador Perez filling in as catcher for the first eight innings of the game.
Fronting up after the game, Jensen told The Kansas City Star and other outlets: ‘I didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it…’
‘I don’t really have an excuse – nor should I. It sucks. It happens. I feel like I let teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and just know it won’t happen again.’
Jensen eventually arrived, but not early enough to prepare adequately to start the game. He did end up coming in as Kansas City’s catcher in the ninth inning.
‘First and foremost, I’m glad Carter’s OK,’ Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino told reporters. ‘I mean, that was kind of the initial thought when you’re trying to get a hold of his parents and everything like that – just make sure he’s OK.’
Carter Jensen (22) turned up late for the Royals game and was scratched from the lineup
Pasquantino said Jensen, a 22-year-old rookie, needs to learn from this experience.
‘There are some things that cannot happen, and that’s one of them,’ Pasquantino said. ‘So he’s going to have to wear it on the chin – same way anybody would have to.
‘It can’t happen, and hopefully it doesn’t happen again. But it’s one of those things that you just can’t afford mistakes like that in this game. Just got to move forward the best that he can. I know he feels really bad.
‘I know it was not his favorite drive to the field this morning, but it wasn’t our favorite morning either, trying to figure out what was going on.
‘He’ll learn from it, grow a little bit. We’re here for him, though. It’s not like anybody’s mad at him. Things happen. But you’ve got to learn from mistakes like that – and maybe get another alarm clock or something.’
Jensen was mortified by his error and said he would be setting ‘a million alarm clocks’ in future
Jensen himself commented on the alarm clock situation, joking that he would be ‘setting a million alarms’ going forward. ‘There’s a lot to learn,’ he added. ‘Make sure I’m up. It stinks.’
The Royals’ manager Matt Quatraro also weighed in, adding: ‘Carter had an oversight. Overslept.
‘Wasn’t here on time, and we made the decision to scratch him from the lineup… he’s a stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid. He feels terrible. He’s accountable to it.
‘It’s not something that has been a pattern or any of that kind of stuff. Nobody feels worse than he does, and I think he’ll admit to that. And we’ll move on.’
