BALTIMORE (AP) — The Kansas City Royals activated first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino from the injured list Friday after he missed more than three weeks with a fractured right hamate bone.

Pasquantino was not in Kansas City’s lineup for the opener of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Matt Quatraro said Pasquantino was available to pinch hit.

Pasquantino sustained the injury to his wrist on June 13 when his hand made contact with the ball on a swing. At the time, the Royals anticipated he could miss up to six weeks.

“He set his goal really early to get back before the All-Star break, and he had to do a lot of hard work to get here,” Quatraro said.

The 28-year-old was 4 for 11 with three walks and an RBI in three rehabilitation games this week for Triple-A Omaha. He said his hand feels normal and there was not much remaining soreness.

“That’s why we do it,” Pasquantino said. “I owe it to my teammates, the organization, the fans, everybody to do whatever I can to get back as soon as I can. That’s how I approach these things. We obviously wouldn’t do it if I didn’t feel comfortable and if they didn’t feel comfortable.”

Pasquantino is hitting .224 with six home runs and 32 RBIs this season. A year ago, he set career highs in homers (32) and RBIs (113) while leading Kansas City in both categories.

“Had a lot of time to think about what happened in the first half,” Pasquantino said. “Think we made some good adjustments to what we’re doing, but at the end of the day, you have to put numbers up.”

The Royals also recalled right-hander Eli Morgan from Omaha and optioned outfielder Kameron Misner and pitcher Jose Cuas to Omaha. Misner hit .220 with four RBIs in 18 games. Cuas was 0-0 with a 2.84 ERA in five relief outings.

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