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4 Royals who’ve impressed heading into the 2026 season
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- 4 Royals who’ve impressed heading into the 2026 season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals have been in Surprise, Arizona, gearing up for the 2026 Major League Baseball season for the past few weeks.
Now, many of them will head across the world to begin prepping for the World Baseball Classic.
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A total of eight Royals are confirmed to be committed to their respective countries. Players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Wacha will represent the United States, with others like Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez repping Venezuela. For a detailed look at which Royals are competing in the 2026 WBC, click here .
Bobby Witt Jr. to receive 2025 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
With most of the Royals' high-profile players leaving Spring Training a bit early, the next four weeks will provide both fans and the Royals' staff with a closer look at some lesser-known prospects and developmental players.
Here are four players who've been particularly impressive over the last few weeks:
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Jac Caglianone
The most impressive player from KC's projected 2026 outfield during Spring Training has been right fielder Jac Caglianone.
Caglianone appeared in three games for the Royals in the Cactus League before heading off to represent Italy in the WBC vs. Brazil on March 3. In those games, Cags has looked far more comfortable at the plate in comparison to his 2025 MLB debut season.
He batted for a .375 average (AVG) with a towering home run vs. the Cincinnati Reds and an impressive line drive that flew off his bat at over 120 miles per hour. Most impressively, though, is his .444 on base percentage (OBP), marked by his seemingly improved plate discipline.
If Caglianone wants to improve on his underwhelming debut year, he'll have to carry that discipline over to the show at the end of the month.
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Carter Jensen
Another Royal who debuted in 2025, Carter Jensen, is looking great at the plate to start 2026 as well. He's batting well above .400, with a homer and three runs batted in (RBI).
If Jensen can maintain even a partial amount of the production he provided the Royals in August 2025, he'll get his fair share of time behind the plate, allowing Salvador Perez more rest in a possible designated hitting role. In Spring Training so far, it seems that'll be the case for the hometown Royal. Jensen could potentially be in the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year.
In 2025, Jensen finished with a slash line of .300/.391/.550, an impressive display of both power and on-base skills. Fans will have to wait till Jensen has more games under his belt at the big-league level to tell if he can maintain that efficiency in an increased role. If so, Jensen could potentially be in the conversation for AL Rookie of the Year.
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Josh Rojas
The Royals acquired Josh Rojas as a potential utility piece for the bench going into 2026. He's taken and run with every opportunity to prove why he should receive that role in Spring Training.
Rojas is batting .455 in Arizona, along with two homers and seven RBI in just 11 games.
As mentioned above, the former Chicago White Sox is most valuable to the Royals as a utility player. With extensive experience at second base, third base, shortstop and corner outfield positions, he's become a favorite to break camp with the team due to his strong performance so far.
Royals fans can now sign up for new streaming service for 2026 games
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However, after the news broke on Saturday that the Royals acquired OF Starling Marte , KC's bench likely only has one spot remaining, with Michael Massey , Lane Thomas and Marte penciled in for now. He'll need to continue to prove his worth above others competing for a bench spot in KC, like Tyler Tolbert , Nick Loftin , John Rave and others.
Kendry Chourio
At just 18 years old, Kendry Chourio is confined to the backfields while he's in Arizona with the Royals. That doesn't mean he hasn't been impressive, though.
In his age 17 season, Chourio jumped three levels of low-level pro ball, got his fastball velocity up to the mid-to-high 90s, peaking at 97 mph, showed that his secondary pitches are effective and controllable and even earned the chance to start a playoff game at the high-A level.
The young righty from Venezuela is years away from the MLB at this point, but that's not to say he isn't worth keeping tabs on. A young pitcher with the amount of control, velocity and poise that Chourio has shown shouldn't be taken for granted, and the Royals would be unwise to do so.
During his workouts in Arizona this summer, he's continued to prove he can keep hitters off-balance and that he might just be the top pitcher in the Royals' farm system, and one of the better young prospects in baseball.
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