Carter Jensen Slept Through His Alarm and the Royals Made Him Pay For It

Kansas City pulled catcher Carter Jensen from the lineup about an hour before Thursday's game against the Twins. The reason? He overslept and missed his alarm, arriving at Kauffman Stadium too late to properly prepare for a game where he was supposed to be catching. Instead, Salvador Perez moved from designated hitter to catcher, scrambling to get ready alongside starter Cole Ragans.

This wasn't a physical injury or a mystery. Jensen, the Royals' top prospect, literally slept through his alarm. Manager Matt Quatraro didn't mince words about it: "Carter had an oversight. Overslept. Wasn't here on time, and we made the decision to scratch him from the lineup." Quatraro was quick to vouch for Jensen's character though, calling him "a stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid" while acknowledging the mistake. He also noted this isn't a pattern, which matters when you're talking about a 22-year-old rookie trying to establish himself in the majors.

Jensen Takes the Hit, Promises It Won't Happen Again

Jensen didn't hide from the clubhouse after the Royals' 5-1 loss to Minnesota. He faced reporters head-on. "No running from it," Jensen said. "Just didn't wake up to my alarm. Slept through it. Don't really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. Happens. I felt like I let my teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won't happen again."

He woke up in what he called "full panic" and tried getting to the field immediately, but he already knew his starting spot was gone. He did catch warmup pitches early and came in to catch the ninth inning, at least salvaging something from a rough morning.

A Learning Moment for a Young Player in a Ruthless Game

Teammate Yandy Pasquantino, who had his own day turned upside down when Perez had to shift from DH to catcher, framed this as a growing moment for Jensen. "He's really young. There are some things that cannot happen, and that's one of them. He's going to have to wear it on the chin, same way anybody would have to."

Jensen got the message loud and clear. Going forward, he's not taking chances with a single alarm. "Making sure if I don't set one alarm, maybe set three, four, as many as possible," Jensen said. "Moving forward, that's what I'm going to do. Set a million alarms. Make sure I'm up. It stinks, though."

The Royals have his back, but the lesson is carved in stone: you can't afford mistakes like this in the majors. Jensen won't forget it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.