Welcome back to the Royals Beat newsletter! For this edition, MLB.com reporter/producer Paul Casella is filling in for beat reporter Anne Rogers.

Players are always excited to get to Spring Training and begin the season, but when the Royals arrive in Surprise, Ariz., next month, there might not be anyone more pumped than Vinnie Pasquantino.

Pasquantino’s 2023 season ended prematurely because of right shoulder surgery in June, and sitting in the dugout watching his team did not sit right with him. A huge competitor, he wants to be on the field in good times and bad.

“I never want to do [last season] again,” he said last month at the MLB Winter Meetings.

Pasquantino will be back in 2024. He has been swinging in the cage and will be ready come spring. He leads the first-base edition of our around-the-horn series this week:

Projected starter: Pasquantino
Pasquantino is fully healthy after his season-ending shoulder surgery last year, and he’s more ready than anyone to get back on the field.

“I know the guys are fired up, ready to get out to Spring [Training],” Pasquantino said at the Winter Meetings. “I’m probably more fired up than most because it’s been so long.”

The Royals believe their lineup will look a lot different with Pasquantino back in the middle offering his unique power-patience combination. In 61 games last year, Pasquantino had a slash line of .247/.324/.437 with a 103 wRC+, an 11.9% strikeout rate and a 9.6% walk rate. He was hindered by the shoulder injury, but he is healthy now for the first time since his shoulder became an issue in 2022.

There are still plenty of things for Pasquantino to prove, given his lack of experience, but the future is bright for the 26-year-old. There were several teams that checked in with the Royals on Pasquantino’s trade availability this offseason, but Kansas City sees him as a major part of its core moving forward.

Backup options: Salvador Perez, Nick Loftin, Nick Pratto
Manager Matt Quatraro will be mixing and matching the lineup based on workload and matchups, just like he did last year. If Perez isn’t catching, he’ll be the designated hitter or play first. If Perez is serving as the DH, Pasquantino will play first. But there will be opportunities to have Pasquantino at DH and let Pratto -- the better defensive option -- play some first base, as well as Loftin.

All that is to say, while Pasquantino will be considered the Royals’ starting first baseman, the position will see plenty of rotation. Garrett Hampson might even log some innings at first, if the Royals need it.

Question to answer: What is Pratto’s role?
There will be somewhat of a roster crunch come Opening Day, and Pratto might be on the outside looking in due to both the club’s infield depth and the Hunter Renfroe signing likely pushing Pratto out of the outfield picture.

Pratto’s defense is outstanding at first base, and he did well in the outfield corners when given opportunities last year. Offensively, he hasn’t been able to take advantage of the opportunities he has gotten in the lineup. Pratto posted just a .660 OPS in 95 games last year, and he struck out at a whopping 40% clip. The 25-year-old was known for his plate discipline in the Minors, but he simply did not swing the bat enough last year.

Pasquantino has first base locked down, and as detailed above, the Royals have backup options. Pratto, a former first-round Draft pick, is going to have to really earn his way onto the roster in Spring Training.

Who else is in the Pipeline?
Devin Mann, the Royals’ No. 28 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings, plays all over the infield, but he logged 236 innings at first base between Triple-A Oklahoma City (Dodgers’ affiliate) and Omaha last season. He was traded from the Dodgers to the Royals in the Ryan Yarbrough deal at the Trade Deadline. Mann, 26, isn’t on the Royals’ 40-man roster, but he will be seen as depth this season.

Who was the last Royals first baseman with a 30-homer season?

A. Eric Hosmer
B. George Brett
C. Steve Balboni
D. Mike Sweeney

The Royals dropped some exciting news on Thursday afternoon, when they released the list of players expected to appear at this year's Royals Rally, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. The announcement featured 17 active players, including Bobby Witt Jr., Pasquantino and Renfroe, and one special alumni guest: Three-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner and 2015 World Series champion Alex Gordon.

The annual celebration, which is set for Feb. 3 at Kauffman Stadium, gives fans the chance to interact with players and coaches, get autographs, take part in entertaining events and much more.

The Royals reached deals with each of their remaining arbitration-eligible players on Thursday, according to sources. The following players agreed to one-year deals with the club: Nick Anderson ($1.575 million), Carlos Hernández ($1.0125 million), Brady Singer ($4.85 million) and Kyle Wright ($1.8 million).

Having previously avoided arbitration with left-handers Kris Bubic ($2.35 million) and Josh Taylor ($1.1 million), Kansas City has agreed to deals with all of its arbitration-eligible players. Thus, the Royals will not have any arbitration hearings this year.

The Royals extended Spring Training invitations to 23 players outside of their 40-man roster on Wednesday. That list features 11 of the club’s Top 30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, including Loftin (No. 5), catcher Carter Jensen (No. 7) and outfielder Tyler Gentry (No. 8).

Here is the full list of non-roster invitees:

• Pitchers: Dan Altavilla, Mason Barnett, Luis Cessa, Christian Chamberlain, Chandler Champlain, Austin Cox, Tyler Duffey, Sam Long, Walter Pennington, Beck Way
• Catchers: Tyler Cropley, Rodolfo Durán, Carter Jensen, Logan Porter, Luca Tresh
• Infielders: CJ Alexander, Mike Brosseau, Cam Devanney, Devin Mann, Tyler Tolbert
• Outfielders: Nate Eaton, Diego Hernandez, John Rave

• Game times were announced for all of the Royals’ Spring Training and regular-season games. See the full schedule here.

• The Royals have three nationally televised games in the initial schedule announced by FOX and ESPN: May 9 vs. the Angels, May 20 vs. the Tigers and June 27 vs. the Guardians -- all on FS1. Here are some other must-watch games over the season’s first few months.

• MLB Network is in the process of unveiling its Top 10 players at each position heading into 2024, with Bobby Witt Jr. checking in as the No. 9 shortstop in the latest position reveal.

C. Balboni hit 36 homers for the 1985 Royals. Brett hit 30 homers that year, but that was two seasons before he transitioned from third base to first base. As for the others, Sweeney clubbed 29 home runs in both 2000 and ’01, and Hosmer topped out at 25 homers during his time with the Royals.

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