The Kansas City Royals are struggling. At 78-78, they are six games back in the American League Wild Card race with six games to go. Chances are that before long, they will be out of the postseason race and unable to make it back for a second straight year. They won 86 games last year and were the second Wild Card team before losing the ALDS to the eventual AL champion New York Yankees.
The offense has been a struggle yet again for this team. The addition of Jonathan India certainly didn’t helped them the way they thought it would, and the bats have been quiet for most of the year.
However, Oliver Vandervoort of Kings of Kauffman points out that there has been a singular bright spot despite a cold month of September, that being catcher Carter Jensen.
“Jensen, a catcher and DH who got the call to the Major Leagues on September 1, has been lighting up the scoreboard since he arrived in Kauffman. In fact, he’s been a significant part of the team’s offense, and at times has been the only part of the offense,” Vandervoort wrote.
“Jensen has been so good, as a matter of fact that on Friday night, he got moved to the leadoff spot. The hope was obviously that he would spark the offense. Matt Quartaro looked like a genius to start the weekend, considering Jensen went 3-for-7 with two RBI and two runs scored. And the Kansas City Royals scored 20 runs that night. The first time all season they’ve scored 20.”
Jensen hasn’t been up for long, but he is hitting .300/.391/.575 with two home runs, 11 RBI and a .966 OPS since being called up to the Major Leagues. The Royals selected him in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.
So far, he has performed well with Kansas City as a catcher and designated hitter. Having him in the lineup has also allowed them to keep Salvador Perez in the mix as they continue to search for offensive consistency.
His resurgence won’t save the Royals from elimination, but it at least can ignite some hope for the offense in 2026 as the Royals try to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. We’ll see how Jensen fares the rest of the way.
More MLB: How Royals Can Be Eliminated From Playoffs Tuesday After Surviving Weekend
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