Kansas City Royals rookie catcher Carter Jensen was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before Thursday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins after sleeping through his alarm. Salvador Perez shifted from designated hitter to catcher as the Royals lost 5-1. Jensen apologized to his teammates and vowed to set multiple alarms moving forward.
Carter Jensen, the Royals' top prospect, arrived late to Kauffman Stadium and missed pregame preparations. He caught warmup pitches and entered in the ninth inning but did not start behind the plate for starter Cole Ragans. Manager Matt Quatraro confirmed the reason was oversleeping, calling it an oversight with no further punishment planned. The 22-year-old rookie owned up to the mistake immediately after reporters entered the clubhouse following the loss to the Twins. Jensen said, 'No running from it. 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 down, coaches down. Just learn from it and know it won't happen again.' He described waking up in a 'full panic' and plans to 'set a million alarms' to prevent a repeat. Quatraro praised Jensen as a 'stand-up guy, a really hard worker, a great kid' who feels terrible and is accountable. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino credited Perez for stepping up and noted Jensen's youth, saying he must 'wear it on the chin' and learn from the error. Entering the season as Kansas City's top catching prospect, Jensen hit .300/.391/.550 in 20 late-2025 games and is 2 for 16 with a home run in 2026 while sharing time with 36-year-old Perez. The Royals sit at 3-3 after two series.