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Kansas City Royals veteran catcher Salvador Perez expected a DH 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 a late scratch 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 warm-up 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, Missouri on March 30, 2026. (Photos by Mikayla Schlosser/MLB)
Jensen, the Royals’ top prospect, didn’t make up an elaborate lie. He slept through his alarm and was unable to make it to Kauffman Stadium in time to properly prepare for the game.
“No leaks,” 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 it. I don’t really have an excuse, nor should I. It sucks. It happens. I felt like I let down my teammates, my coaches. Learn from it and know that it won’t happen again.”
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Added Royals manager Matt Quatraro: “He’s a stand-up guy, a very 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 that. And we’ll move on.”
While Quatraro took the high road when asked about Jensen, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino went after the rookie like a big brother.
“You have a 36-year-old receiver getting ready to DH today, and then his world is kind of rocked an hour and a half before the game saying he’s not going to DH,” he told reporters. “We thank Salvy today for being ready, first of all. We’re glad Carter’s OK, right? That was kind of the first thought when you were trying to get a hold of his parents and everything else. But once you find out he’s OK, it’s like, ‘Okay, this is a growing up moment.’
Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals looks on during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on September 18, 2025. (Photos by Sydney Schneider/MLB)
“He’s really young. There are some things that can’t happen, and this is one of them. He’s going to have to take it on the chin, the same way anyone does. It can’t happen.”
Pasquantino added that the team was “there for him,” but he also thinks Jensen should probably invest in “another revival or something.”
Jensen is already ahead of his teammate.
“There’s a lot to learn. Make sure if I don’t set one alarm, maybe set three, four, as many as possible. Going forward, that’s what I’m going to do. Set a million alarms. Make sure I’m up. But it stinks.”
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, Arizona on March 18, 2026. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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Jensen is not only 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.
