One Alarm Changes the Lineup

Kansas City Royals top prospect Carter Jensen (22) was scratched from the starting lineup on April 2 against the Minnesota Twins after oversleeping and missing his alarm. The team reshuffled its lineup roughly an hour before first pitch, shifting Salvador Perez (36) — who was set to serve as designated hitter — back behind the plate.

Jensen was not injured. He was seen catching warmup pitches before the game and even came in to catch in the ninth inning. The issue was straightforward: he slept through his alarm and didn't arrive at Kauffman Stadium with enough time to prepare for a game in which he was scheduled to catch.

Rookie Steps Up and Owns It

Jensen was standing at his locker, ready to speak, when reporters entered the clubhouse after the 5-1 loss.

"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. I felt like I let my teammates and coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won't happen again."

Manager Matt Quatraro backed his young player while acknowledging the mistake. "Carter had an oversight. Overslept. Wasn't here on time, and we made the decision to scratch him. He's a stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid. Nobody feels worse than he does."

A Veteran's Plans Upended

Perez bore the brunt of the last-minute scramble. Coming off a grueling game the night before, he had been expecting to rest as DH before the situation suddenly changed an hour and a half before game time.

Vince Pasquantino acknowledged the inconvenience, noting the team had initially tried to reach Jensen's parents when he couldn't be contacted. "Once you find out he's OK, it's like, 'All right, it's a growing moment.' He's really young. Things like this can't happen. But nobody's mad at him. He'll learn from it."

'A Million Alarms'

Jensen summed up his lesson with characteristic candor. "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. It stinks, though."