3 Triple-A veteran standouts who deserve a second-look from Royals this offseason

With a 62-86 record this season, the Omaha Storm Chasers didn’t have a season for the ages by any stretch.

From once notable prospects disappointing to a myriad of midseason veteran additions not nearly providing the production the Royals had hoped for.

However amidst it all, they were not without their standout performers. In fact, there were a few in particular who will surely force the Royals to take a long-hard look at them this winter and whether or not they can fill an organizational need for them in 2026 – perhaps at the major league level.

3 former MLB veterans who deserve a second-look from Royals this offseason

OF MJ Melendez

While he’s not under the same category as other veteran names on this list – considering he wasn’t a minor league free agent signing – Melendez’s performance was just as head-turning.

Now, it seems like we’ve been in this position before with Melendez, grasping on to something in hopes of finally getting the hitter many forecasted he would be coming up through the system. However, there’s no denying that his performance has earned a second look in spring training next year.

Apart from capturing International League Player of the Week honors towards the end of the year, Melendez crafted a more than serviceable body of work in Omaha this season between disappointing MLB stints.

In 107 Triple-A games this season, Melendez slashed .261/.323/.490 with 20 HR, 64 RBI, 20 SB and a 107 wRC+. Certainly a significant difference from the -14 wRC+ hitter he was with the Royals in 2025.

He may be a confusing player and again, it seems like Kansas City has been down this road before with him, but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that he’s seemingly done enough to really earn a second-look from the Royals’ brass in the coming months.

INF Bobby Dalbec

Now, while Melendez may be arbitration eligible and under team controll next season, Dalbec will hit the open market again this winter – much like he did at multiple points this season.

That being said, despite his bouncing around, Dalbec had an excellent season across all three stops in Triple-A, highlighted by some formidable power.

In 455 plate appearances across 105 games, he slashed .269/.349/.525 with 24 homers, 82 RBI and a 127 wRC+. This included a .252/.336/.512 slash line with eight home runs, 25 RBI and a 116 wRC+ with Omaha after joining in early August.

While he his 34.1% Triple-A strikeout rate may be alarming, the fact he was tied for sixth in the International League in homers will help counteract some of the doubt of his swing-and-miss tendencies. And given the Royals’ current 26th overall league ranking in team home runs this season, Dalbec could very well be a welcome utility spark off the bench.

Whether it’s with the Royals or elsewhere, Dalbec’s stops in both their Triple-A ranks as well as Milwaukee’s could very well have secured him another major league look in 2026.

UTIL Harold Castro

Finally, we round off with Castro, who after signing with the Royals this past winter, spent the entirety of the year in Omaha and thrived.

Having not played in affiliated baseball since 2023, Castro was a run production machine for the Storm Chasers this season, leading the team in homers and RBI with 21 and 65 respectively. He’s paired that with an excellent .307/.354/.538 slash line with a 129 wRC+.

This resulted in the utility man taking home some high organizational praise, as he was named Omaha’s Hitter of the Year earlier this month.

Again, as someone on a minor league free agent deal this year, there’s no guaranteeing that he’ll be back with the Royals in 2026. That being said, he’s proven to them, as well as all 29 other organizations, that he’s far more than the 45 wRC+ hitter he was when he last graced the major leagues with Colorado two seasons ago.

The Royals could do far worse than Castro when it comes to bench utility options.