The Royals announced a star player's return with the best (and hairiest) post of the year

Kansas City's Pasquatch is returning just in time for Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Orioles.
Kansas City Royals v Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals v Cincinnati Reds / Lauren Leigh Bacho/GettyImages
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The Kansas City Royals make their return to the postseason for the first time since winning it all back in 2015, kicking off a best-of-three AL Wild Card series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday afternoon. The Royals got here largely on the strength of their starting pitching, highlighted by ace Cole Ragans and a career year from Seth Lugo. But if Kansas City is going to spring the upset and advance to the ALDS, they're going to need someone to step up and help star Bobby Witt Jr. generate some offense — Witt Jr. posted a .977 OPS this season, and only one other regular (Salvador Perez) cracked the .760 mark.

Luckily, that challenge got a little bit easier ahead of Game 1. One of the Royals' biggest bats is set to return to the lineup after an extended absence — and the team's Twitter account made sure to announce it in (very hairy) style.

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Royals announce Vinnie Pasquantino's return in style

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has been on the IL since late August with a broken thumb. The injury initially came with a recovery timeline of six to eight weeks, putting his status for the playoffs in doubt. But Pasquantino, remarkably, has made it back in less than five. And since he goes by the nickname Pasquatch, there was only one way for the team to break the news.

That is ... a shockingly vivid illustration. While I'm not sure we needed quite so much detail in the hands, what's undoubtedly true is that Pasquantino's timely return is a huge boon for the Royals' chances of making a deep run in October. As transcendent as Witt Jr. is, and as dominant as Ragans can be atop the rotation, it was hard to imagine Kansas City getting through some of the big-swinging powers of the American League without a little more oomph in the lineup.

Pasquantino, who put up 19 homers and 30 doubles with a .760 OPS in 131 games before landing on the IL, would be just what the doctor ordered, another slugging threat who can hopefully provide Witt Jr. with some protection (and maybe knock him in when he inevitability gets on base and immediately steals second). Facing Corbin Burnes in Game 1 of a postseason series is quite the welcome-back moment, but the Royals will take all the help they can get.

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