Vinnie Pasquantino out for regular season with broken thumb

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is set to miss six to eight weeks after suffering a broken right thumb in a collision with the Houston Astros' Yainer Diaz, the team announced Friday.

Pasquantino was injured while trying to catch a rushed throw from reliever Lucas Erceg that put his glove in Diaz's running path during Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Astros.

The timeline would rule out Pasquantino for the rest of the regular season. The Royals (75-60) are 1½ games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central and hold the second wild-card spot.

The Royals said Pasquantino would undergo further testing Friday.

Erceg also was injured while trying to barehand Diaz's ground ball. The Royals have not provided an update on the right-hander.

Pasquantino hit .262 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs in 131 games this season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.