Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen was unexpectedly removed from Thursday's starting lineup against the Minnesota Twins for a simple human error: he overslept his alarm.
Manager Matt Quatraro had to make a late decision to scratch Jensen and reinsert veteran Salvador Perez behind the plate. "Carter had an oversight," Quatraro said postgame. "Overslept. Wasn't here on time." He emphasized this was an isolated incident for the 22-year-old, calling him a "stand-up guy" who feels terrible and is accountable.
Jensen entered the game in the ninth inning. Postgame, he was forthright about his mistake. "No running from it," Jensen said. "Just didn't wake up to my alarm... I felt like I let my teammates down." He vowed to set multiple alarms moving forward.
Teammate Vinnie Pasquantino said the team was initially worried but supports Jensen, calling it a "growing moment." He credited Perez for being ready on short notice after his planned day as designated hitter was upended.