The Kansas City Royals made the 2024 postseason after eight straight seasons out of the playoffs, but they were right back on the couch in October 2025. That’s why they added several reinforcements over the offseason.
The Royals traded for outfielder Isaac Collins as well as relievers Nick Mears and Matt Strahm. Collins slashed .263/.368/.411 with nine homers, 64 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases over 130 games as a rookie for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, while Mears had a 3.49 ERA over 63 games for the Brewers. Meanwhile, Strahm had a 2.74 ERA over 66 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.
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With pitchers and catchers reporting on Wednesday, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers projected Kansas City’s Opening Day roster on Monday.
Rogers listed veteran Salvador Perez and prospect Carter Jensen as the starting and backup catchers, respectively. Vinnie Pasquantino was the lone first baseman, while Jonathan India and Michael Massey were the starting and backup second basemen, respectively.
Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was the lone shortstop, while Maikel Garcia Jr. was the lone third baseman. The Royals signed Garcia to a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension with a club option for a sixth this offseason, per MLB.com. The 25-year-old notched an .800 OPS in 160 games last year.
Furthermore, Collins, Kyle Isbel, Jac Caglianone, and Lane Thomas were the outfielders while Nick Loftin and Tyle Tolbert were the bench/utility players. The starting rotation was Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, and Noah Cameron, while the bullpen was manned by Mears, Strahm, Carlos Estevez, Lucas Erceg, John Schreiber, Alex Lange, Daniel Lynch IV, and Steven Cruz.
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Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone (14). © Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Kansas City can always rely on Witt, Garcia, Pasquantino, and Perez to provide consistent offense, but it didn’t get enough from the rest of its lineup last season. That’s why it was tied for 19th in baseball with a .706 team OPS, 26th with 159 home runs, and 26th with 651 runs.
Collins and Caglianone are two young players who could lift the Royals to another level if they play to their potential. Collins at least established himself as a productive big-leaguer in 2025, but Caglianone slashed .157/.237/.295 with seven homers and 18 RBIs over 62 games as a rookie despite being MLB Pipeline’s 10th-ranked prospect and Kansas City’s No. 1 prospect when he was called up on June 1, per FOX Sports.
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On the bright side, Caglianone now has big-league experience, which could help him take a step forward in 2026. A mix of reliable veteran talent and rising young players producing in the lineup is a good way for a team to return to the playoffs after a down year.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
