Royals Notes: Jensen, Ragans, Altavilla, Avila, Mears

Royals catcher Carter Jensen was shifted to the leadoff spot on Saturday with the club searching for offensive production. The young backstop came through with an RBI single and a two-run homer. Kansas City scored six runs in the contest after having put up a total of five runs in four games this week.

“I like the idea of hitting leadoff,” Jensen said before the game, relayed by Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star. “I think I can fill the role great. I think it’s just putting my approach to my plan and just going out there and competing.”

Jensen has mostly hit fifth this season. Of his 167 at-bats, 125 have come in the No. 5 spot. He’d led off just once this year heading into Saturday. Jensen went 1-for-5 with a pair of RBI in that game, a 12-1 Royals’ win. He was atop the lineup for two games in 2025, posting three hits (all doubles) in 11 ABs. One of those matchups was a 20-1 win.

The 22-year-old Jensen hasn’t been able to recapture the form he showed in his MLB debut last year. He was slashing .222/.306/.383 heading into Saturday. The catcher is still walking at a double-digit clip, but his strikeout rate has spiked to 29.0%. Jensen struck out just 17.4% in 2025. He posted a massive 159 wRC+ in 20 games.

Kansas City has scored the second-fewest runs in the league. The team ranks in the bottom five for OPS and wRC+. The leadoff spot itself hasn’t been a major issue, as Maikel Garcia has posted near league-average numbers. Garcia was moved to the No. 3 spot for the past two games, including tonight. Lane Thomas led off on Friday.

The Royals have dropped 15 of their last 18 games. The slide has the club sitting 11 games behind the first-place Guardians in the AL Central. Despite the challenges, coaching changes are not on the horizon, per general manager J.J. Picollo. “I have a lot of confidence in our staff,” Picollo told reporters, including Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “You can go back and look at all the historical research on changing coaching staffs. There’s not a lot of strong data on changing coaching staffs mid-season leading to what you need to do.”

Here’s more from the Royals…

Left-hander Cole Ragans has resumed his rehab assignment, according to his MLB player page. The ace was shut down from throwing earlier this week after feeling stiffness in his elbow. Ragans has been on the injured list with a left elbow impingement since early May. It’s unclear when exactly he’ll make his next Triple-A appearance. Ragans last pitched on May 23.
Kansas City added veteran reliever Dan Altavilla on a minor league deal, the club announced. The right-hander was released by Minnesota’s Triple-A affiliate on Monday. The 33-year-old Altavilla has spent parts of eight MLB seasons with four teams. That includes a brief stint with the Royals in 2024, when he was knocked around for six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. Altavilla posted a strong 2.48 ERA in 28 appearances with the White Sox last year.
Right-hander Luinder Avila is joining the rotation, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters, including Rogers. His next start will likely come on Monday against the Reds. Avila made a start in his first big-league appearance this year, but has since operated out of the bullpen. The righty has covered three innings in back-to-back outings. He got up to 67 pitches on Tuesday against the Yankees.
Reliever Nick Mears was placed on the IL on Friday, the team announced. The right-hander will miss time with a right shoulder impingement. Right-hander Eric Cerantola was recalled to take his spot. Mears came to the Royals in the offseason, along with outfielder Isaac Collins, in a trade that sent lefty Angel Zerpa to the Brewers. The righty permitted runs in just two of his first 16 appearances with the club. He’s since allowed eight earned runs over his last five outings.