Postseason FAQ: What's next for the Royals?

ATLANTA — It's been nine years since the Royals last appeared in the postseason, and nine years since they brought the World Series title back to Kansas City for the second time in franchise history.

“Ever since I got drafted here, that's been the goal,” Brady Singer said. “Go to the postseason, go to the World Series. It's incredible. This team is so special. Many winners in this team. All we care about is conquering and lifting each other up. We go through ups and downs, but we always come back and fight the next day. We had that all year. We're not done yet.”

When does the postseason start?

The best-of-three wild card series will take place next Tuesday through Thursday

Who will the Royals face?

Kansas City will either travel to Baltimore or Houston, depending on the final two games of the regular season. The Orioles have home-field advantage as the No. 4 seed, while the 3-seed Astros will host the other American League wild card series as AL West champions.

Entering Saturday's game against the Braves, the Royals (85-75) trail the Tigers (86-75) by a half game, who lost to the White Sox on Saturday a day after clinching a postseason berth in the AL wild card standings.

The Royals hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers, however, if they go back to a tie with the next two games, the Royals will receive the higher seed and face the Orioles.

Who is eligible for the postseason roster?

Any player in the organization as of August 31 is eligible, including minor leaguers. Yes, that means the Royals' additions off waivers at the end of August — Tommy Pham, Yuli Gurriel and Robbie Grossman — are available.

The rosters return 26 players to the postseason, including a maximum of 13 pitchers, although the Royals have been working with 13 pitchers for several weeks now. Rosters are determined the morning of Game 1 in each round, which will be Tuesday for the Wild Card Series.

What will the lineup be like?

With Vinny Pasquantino on the injured list (more on him below), the offense looks a lot different. And as manager Matt Quatraro has shown all season, he's not afraid to shake it up based on how matchups look against opposing starters and bullpens. It varies by night, so here's just a rough estimate:

Cole Ragans will not start the regular-season finale on Sunday to prepare for the postseason, and Saturday starter Seth Lugo is scheduled to pitch only two or three innings — depending on his pitch count — as a tune-up for next week. One of these two may take the ball in Game 1, the other may go to Game 2.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Saturday that the Royals are still working through their rotation plan.

If Game 3 is necessary, it seems the Royals could turn to veteran starter Michael Wachter, who has postseason experience and finished the regular season with a 3.35 ERA.

Teams can have a maximum of 13 pitchers on postseason rosters, but the Royals likely won't go with the full 13 because of how they prefer to use their bench with more position players.

What will be the toughest roster decision?

A major factor is Pasquantino's health (more on him below) and whether he'll be ready to go by next week — which will be just five weeks after breaking his thumb on Aug. 29 in Houston — or if he'll need a potential division series to make his comeback. have to wait until

How many pitchers they carry will help determine how many position players they can carry. It looks like the wild card roster will have more position players than pitchers, meaning the final bullpen spots must be ironed out. That will depend on the matchup and who the Royals feel best fits their needs, including how Singer might fit into the pitching scheme.

Can any injured players return in time for the postseason?

The X-factor here is Pasquantino, who is doing everything to heal his thumb and return in time for October. He's hitting — he'll likely be a designated hitter option when he returns — and getting his bat back in the lineup would do wonders for an offense trying to get back on track. It's still unclear if Pasquantino can be ready for the Wild Card Series or if the Royals will have to go to the Division Series. At the time of his injury, the Royals had a six- to eight-week timeline for his return; If that timeline still holds, it would put Pasquantino back through the Division Series as soon as possible.

Relievers Will Smith (back sprain) and Chris Stratton (right forearm flexor strain) are both still on the injured list, but Smith is further along in his recovery than Stratton, who resumed playing catch earlier this week. Smith threw his second live batting practice session in Atlanta this weekend and is feeling good physically and with his pitches. Although he has struggled this year, the veteran reliever has been on World Series winning teams the last three years. His experience and guidance in the bullpen this season has been invaluable.