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Kansas City Royals veteran catcher Salvador Perez was expecting to DH for his squad in Thursday’s afternoon tilt against the Minnesota Twins.
Unfortunately for the 36-year-old, he had to get back behind the plate after rookie Carter Jensen was unavailable to play catcher for the Royals after sleeping through his alarm.
Jensen was scratched late as the Royals’ starting catcher for the game, but it’s usually an illness or injury that results in such a late change to the lineup. But when Jensen came in for the ninth inning, and was seen catching warmup pitches earlier in the game, reporters were curious.
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Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals takes the field before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on March 30, 2026. (Mikayla Schlosser/MLB Photos)
Jensen, the Royals’ top prospect, didn’t make up an elaborate lie. He slept through his alarm and wasn’t able to get to Kauffman Stadium in time to properly prepare for the game.
“No running from it,” Jensen told reporters, via MLB.com, after a 5-1 loss to the Twins. “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.”
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Royals manager Matt Quatraro added: “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.”
While Quatraro took the high road when asked about Jensen, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino laid into the rookie in big-brother fashion.
“You got a 36-year-old catcher preparing to DH today and then his world gets a little rocked an hour and a half before the game that he’s not going to be DH-ing,” he told reporters. “Credit to Salvy today for being ready, first and foremost. We’re glad Carter’s OK, right? That was kind of the initial thought when you’re trying to get a hold of his parents and everything like that. But once you find out he’s OK, it’s like, ‘All right, it’s a growing moment.’
Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals looks on during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 18, 2025. (Sydney Schneider/MLB Photos)
“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. It can’t happen.”
Pasquantino added the team is “here for him,” but he also believes Jensen should likely invest in “another alarm clock or something.”
Jensen is already ahead of his teammate.
“There’s a lot to learn from it. Making sure if I don’t set one alarm, maybe set three, four, as many as possible. Moving forward, that’s what I’m going to do. Set a million alarms. Make sure I’m up. It stinks, though.”
Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals walks to the on deck circle during a spring training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz., on March 18, 2026. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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Jensen is not just the Royals’ top prospect, but the 6-foot, 210-pound catcher is ranked No. 16 overall by MLB Pipeline in 2026.
In his six games to start the 2026 season, Jensen has two hits in 16 at-bats, including one home run and two RBI.
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