Mark

Canha

Royals manager Matt Quatraro wouldn’t commit to Pasquantino being ready for Thursday’s season opener against the Guardians, but added that he’s scheduled to go through a full workout on Wednesday before being re-evaluated a few hours prior to first pitch to make a final determination. The 27-year-old first baseman was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain earlier this week, which typically results in an injured list trip for most players. It would likely be veteran Mark Canha filling in at the cold corner if he’s not ready. There should be an update on his status prior to Thursday afternoon’s opener.

Pasquantino was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Monday but has claimed that he is planning to play on Opening Day on Thursday. However, Grade 1 strains often take 1-2 weeks to fully heal, and Pasquantino has said the final decision will come down to the team’s medical staff. It would seem to make no sense for the Royals to rush him back on the field, especially since they can back-date a 10-day IL stint three days, which would mean Pasquantino would only miss the first six games of the season. That feels like the most likely outcome with Mark Canha filling in for that first week.

It’s a procedural move since Canha, who was acquired last weekend from the Brewers in a small trade, was technicality in camp as a non-roster invitee following the deal. The 36-year-old veteran has locked up a spot on Kansas City’s season-opening roster in a reserve role. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats outside of deeper AL-only formats.

Canha wasn’t going to earn a bench spot on the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, so they flipped him to the Royals where he’s likely to function in a short-side platoon role and can mash left-handed pitching. It’s still unlikely that Canha sees enough playing time to gain any relevancy from a fantasy perspective — especially now that he’s playing half of his games in Kansas City’s less offensive-friendly environment.

Canha did his damage off of Jordan Leasure in the opening frame, crushing (104.9 mph EV) a two-run shot that gave the Brewers an early edge that they would never relinquish. He also grounded out to second base and lined out to right field, finishing the afternoon 1-for-3. The 36-year-old is off to a slow start on the spring, hitting just .167 in 12 at-bats.

It’s a return to the Brewers for Canha, a place where he had success as he hit .287/.373/.427 with five homers and four stolen bases over 178 plate appearances back in 2023. The 36-year-old veteran will get a chance to show what he can do against left-handed pitching, and it wouldn’t be an upset if he made the Opening Day roster with a good showing in Arizona.

Heyman notes that the Mets have offered the 35-year-old outfielder a non-guaranteed deal and the ball is now in his court. With his market slow to develop, it’s possible that Canha winds up taking what he can get and returns to the Mets where he played in 2022 and 2023. Canha hit .242/.344/.346 with seven homers, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases in 462 plate appearances between the Tigers and Giants in 2024.

Canha’s season is obviously over. The 35-year-old will hit the shelf before hitting free agency, and he’ll likely see a market from teams looking for a left-handed bench bat to fill out the roster.

With the Giants facing a left-handed pitcher, they will turn to a more right-handed starting lineup. Wisely and Wade Jr. are in pretty strict strong-side platoon roles, but Conforto has started occasionally against left-handed pitching, so this may also be a simple day off for the 31-year-old. In their places, Mark Canha will start at first base, Casey Schmitt will start at second base, and Jerar Encarnacion will start in left field.

Canha gave the Giants the walk-off win with a sac fly off Shelby Miller. It was the third straight inning that San Francisco scored a run with a sacrifice fly, and it erased a 2-0 deficit. Productive outs are productive. This also came off the team that traded him to the Giants at the deadline, so that had to feel nice for him. Canha went 1-for-3 in the contest, and he’s hit .467/.529/.533 since being acquired by San Francisco.