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Veteran Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez was hoping to be the designated hitter for his team in Thursday afternoon’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
Unfortunately for the 36-year-old, he had to return behind the plate after rookie Carter Jensen was unavailable to play catcher for the Royals after sleeping through his alarm.
Jensen was removed late as the Royals’ starting catcher for the game, but it’s usually an illness or injury that results in such a late lineup change. But when Jensen came on for the ninth inning and was seen catching warm-up pitches early in the game, reporters became 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, Missouri, on March 30, 2026. (Mikayla Schlosser/MLB Photos)
Jensen, the Royals’ top prospect, didn’t make up an elaborate lie. He slept until the alarm sounded and was unable to get to Kauffman Stadium in time to properly prepare for the game.
“There’s no running away from this,” Jensen told reporters, via MLB.com, after a 5-1 loss to the Twins. “I just didn’t wake up to my alarm. I slept through the whole thing. I don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. It happens. I felt like I let my teammates and my coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won’t happen again.”
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Added Royals manager Matt Quatraro: “He’s a tough guy, a hard worker, a great kid. He feels terrible. He’s responsible for it. It’s not something that’s been a pattern or anything like that. Nobody feels worse than him, and I think he’ll admit it. And we’ll move on.”
While Quatraro took the high road when asked about Jensen, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino attacked the rookie like a big brother.
“Today you have a 36-year-old catcher preparing to be a designated hitter and then his world is shaken a little bit an hour and a half before the game because he’s not going to be a designated hitter,” he told reporters. “You have to give Salvy credit today for being ready, first and foremost. We’re glad Carter’s okay, right? That was the initial thought when you’re trying to reach out to his parents and everything. But once you find out he’s okay, it’s like, ‘Okay, it’s a growing moment.’
Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals watches during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 18, 2025. (Sydney Schneider/MLB Photos)
“He’s too young. There are some things that can’t happen, and that’s one of them. He’s going to have to wear it on his chin, the same way anyone would have to. It can’t happen.”
Pasquantino added that the team is “here for him,” but also thinks Jensen should probably invest in “another alarm clock or something.”
Jensen is already ahead of his teammate.
“There’s a lot to learn from this. Making sure that if I don’t set one alarm, maybe I set three, four, as many as possible. In the future, that’s what I’m going to do. Set a million alarms. Make sure I’m awake. It sucks though.”
Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals walks to the deck circle during a spring training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona, on March 18, 2026. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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Not only is Jensen the Royals’ top prospect, but the 6-foot, 210-pound catcher is ranked 16th overall by MLB Pipeline in 2026.
In his six games to start the 2026 season, Jensen has two hits in 16 at-bats, including a home run and two RBIs.
