KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, the Kansas City Royals announced that the Royals.TV team had hired a new sideline reporter for the 2026 season.
The new hire, Bridget Howard, is a Kansas City-native and lifelong Royals fan as her dad, David, played with the club in the 1990s, according to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers. Howard attended Blue Valley High School in Kansas City, and attended every home game of the 2014 and 2015 World Series.
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Following her education at Blue Valley and Kansas State University, Howard traveled the country for roles with TNT Sports, Unrivaled Basketball and the National Women’s Soccer League. Now, she’ll be working for her hometown team.
“The Royals have always been a part of my life,” she told MLB.com.
“I understand what they mean to the city. And this job has always been the North Star for me. I always knew I wanted to work in baseball, and to be able to come home and do it for my hometown team, I still don’t even know if I can put it into words. It’s just an incredibly full-circle moment.”
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Her new role is more important than just being the “North Star,” though. Howard will be the first woman to consistently appear on Royals’ broadcasts, MLB.com reports.
“It isn’t lost on me,” she told Rogers. “This is a first, and people are going to look to you about how you’re going to do. For me, all I care about is if there’s a little girl watching and they see and can say, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ It’s all about seeing what’s possible. If I can do that and impact a little girl and make her want to be a sideline reporter or get into sports, that’s the coolest part for me.” I’m proud to do that. I don’t know how to use another word other than cool, but I also know that it means everything to me. And to do it for the Royals is extra special.”
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Howard will join the team, which is retaining all of its talent from the 2026 season, including Ryan Lefebvre, Jake Eisenberg, Rex Hudler, Jeremy Guthrie, Joel Goldberg and Jeff Montgomery. The Royals said that Howard will appear on all local home broadcasts, as well as in one road series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals in May. She’s set to make her debut during Thursday’s Spring Training game vs. the Texas Rangers.
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Howard’s hiring also comes after the club’s departure from FanDuel Sports, and the new streaming service, Royals.TV. The Royals say that changes are coming to the broadcasts in 2026, and Howard is set to be a big part of that.
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