Kansas City Royals fans are sharp. They know what the team needs this offseason. Sure, there are ways to round out the roster or deepen the organizational pipeline, but until the team brings in true difference-makers in the outfield, skepticism will remain.
Last season’s trade deadline offered a glimpse of what a competent outfield addition could look like when veteran Mike Yastrzemski joined from the San Francisco Giants. For a short stretch, Royals fans saw an upgraded unit and now, they understandably want more.
In fact, many fans seem open to bringing Yastrzemski back for 2026. The 35-year-old isn’t a long-term solution in the outfield, but he provided a much-needed boost to one of MLB’s worst-performing position groups.
Kansas City outfielders finished with the lowest collective wRC+ in baseball last year. However, that number improved to a more respectable 93 in the second half, with Yastrzemski leading that charge. His defensive versatility proved valuable, and after passing that late-season test, a reunion makes too much sense to ignore.
The Royals can’t just add Mike Yastrzemski and call it a winter this offseason.
But there’s one glaring issue.
Yastrzemski is highly productive against right-handed pitching, but nearly unplayable against lefties. In 2025, he posted an .809 OPS against righties but just .427 OPS against lefties. That imbalance led Kansas City to give him only 31 plate appearances against southpaws all season.
If the Royals want a reunion, they’ll need to find the right platoon partner: a right-handed hitter who can handle left-handed pitching and play at least passable corner outfield defense.
Here are three affordable, effective options to pair with Yastrzemski and build a competent platoon heading into 2026.
OF Rob Refsnyder
2025 stats : 70 G, 209 PA, .269/.354/.484, .838 OPS, 11.5% BB%, 25.8% K%, 128 wRC+
Career versus LHP: 379 G, 791 PA, .281/.383/.443, .826 OPS, 13.3% BB%, 20.7% K%, 129 wRC+
Outfielder Rob Refsnyder is far from a household name in this free agent class, but the former New York Yankees draftee should find a new home with no problem this offseason.
He has spent the past four seasons with the Yankees’ rival, the Boston Red Sox, and found success as a platoon bat for them. Refsnyder has never been a defensive savant in the outfield or a burner on the basepaths, but Boston leveraged his bat well against southpaws.
Refsnyder was a journeyman outfielder for most of his career, playing for five different teams between 2017 and 2021. But he landed with Boston, and whatever they did with Refsnyder worked.
He has an absurd 155 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers during his Boston tenure, batting at least .300 against them in each of his seasons there. Kansas City will not significantly improve the outfield’s defense by signing Refsnyder, and he is far from an ideal pinch runner. However, heading into his age-35 season, Refsnyder is a good fit for Kansas City.
With such a limited skill set, the asking price for Refsnyder should not be much. FanGraphs predicts a one-year deal with $5 million for the Arizona product. If the Royals add him and Yastrzemski to the roster, that is creating a well-above-average platoon pairing to address at least Kansas City’s performance at the plate.
OF Lane Thomas
2025 stats: 39 G, 142 PA, .160/.246/.272, .518 OPS, 9.9% BB%, 31.0% K%, 48 wRC+
Career versus LHP: 313 G, 683 PA, .292/.359/.500, .859 OPS, 9.2% BB%, 19.3% K%, 135 wRC+
Thomas endured a nightmare 2025 season, derailed by a right wrist bone bruise and later plantar fasciitis, which ultimately required season-ending surgery. It was an unfortunate turn after back-to-back solid campaigns, including a 2.9 fWAR season in 2023 and 32 stolen bases in 2024.
But the upside remains. Thomas has crushed left-handed pitching throughout his career and is still just entering his age-30 season. Defensively, he’s slightly below average but still capable in the corners, at least enough to complement Yastrzemski’s role.
His value will hinge on his health entering spring training, and that uncertainty may suppress his market value. If the Royals are willing to wait, this could be a low-risk, high-reward addition, particularly if Thomas returns to form by midseason.
UTL Miguel Andujar
2025 stats: 94 G, 341 PA, .318/.352/.470, .822 OPS, 5.0% BB%, 14.4% K%, 125 wRC+
Career versus LHP: 255 G, 521 PA, .297/.332/.475, .807 OPS, 5.0% BB%, 17.1% K%, 121 wRC+
The former Yankees one-year wonder still hasn’t recaptured his 2018 peak, but utilityman Miguel Andujar has made himself into a serviceable part-time player for three seasons now. After a red-hot second half with the Cincinnati Reds, Andujar could be in line for the first multi-year deal of his career.
But when will the expected numbers catch up with the Dominican? If Kansas City believes it can stave that off one more year, then his lefty-mashing ways would pair excellently with Yastrzemski.
Andujar, like Refsnyder, is a bat-only player, even though Andujar will only be 31 on Opening Day. He has the arm to help make up for his range issues in left field, but he is poor enough that he shouldn’t be any team’s primary option at that spot. He has seemingly aged out of third base, but played there with poor results in 2025. But fans want runs, and Andujar can help a team get those against left-handed pitching.
Andujar had a preposterous 171 wRC+ against southpaws in 2025, albeit in a small 93 plate appearance sample size. Playing in Sacramento likely helped, but his 159 wRC+ away from the Athletics’ home in that same split will still absolutely play for a platoon role.
Andujar shouldn’t be Kansas City’s primary addition to address the outfield, but adding him and Yastrzemski in tandem at least gives a competent platoon pair heading into Opening Day, even if both players have their glaring flaws.
The Royals’ outfield remains a pressing issue, and they shouldn’t stop at bringing back Yastrzemski. While he brings value against right-handers, Kansas City must pair him with a competent right-handed bat who can punish lefties and hold his own defensively.
Options like Refsnyder, Thomas, and Andújar won’t steal headlines, but together, they form a pragmatic solution to a longstanding problem. Add a frontline outfielder elsewhere via trade or free agency, and suddenly the Royals’ outfield isn’t a liability but a potential strength.
Yastrzemski and a right-handed platoon partner won’t solve everything, but they could be an efficient first step toward fielding a competitive outfield in 2026.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source kingsofkauffman.com ’
