Jensen celebrates 'MLB birthday' with multihomer game

KANSAS CITY – Exactly a year ago Wednesday, Carter Jensen arrived at Kauffman Stadium not for the first time ever – he grew up attending games as a Royals fan, after all – but for the first time as a Major League player, debuting for his hometown team on a day he’ll never forget.

Over the past year, Jensen has arrived: As a Major League hitter, everyday catcher and core piece of this Royals team moving forward.

“I remember watching him in Spring Training when we first drafted him, and you could tell there was something different about his swing, something different about his approach,” second baseman Michael Massey said. “But to catch on at this level as quick as he has, I can tell you from experience: It’s not as easy as he’s making it look.”

On the anniversary of Jensen’s debut, he hit two homers in the Royals’ 9-6 loss to the Marlins at Kauffman Stadium. Jensen crushed a leadoff blast in the first inning and his 21st home run of the season in the fourth. In between those two at-bats was nearly another homer on a well-hit flyout to the warning track in center field.

Jensen’s six career leadoff home runs are two more than any other catcher in MLB history. They’ve all come this year, setting the Royals’ single-season franchise record for leadoff home runs.

“We feel really good about him leading off,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s got a unique skillset. He sees the ball well, he can take some walks. Obviously, he has power, so he can do a lot at the top of the order.”

Jensen kickstarted a Royals comeback after starter Noah Cameron allowed two runs in the top of the first. Kansas City erased that deficit in six pitches against Marlins starter Eury Pérez, with Jensen’s home run, Bobby Witt Jr.’s single and Jac Caglianone’s RBI double. Salvador Perez’s two-run homer gave the Royals the lead, and Massey’s RBI double capped a five-run inning.

The Marlins clawed their way back against Cameron, who was tagged with four runs in five innings, and reliever Jose Cuas, who allowed three runs (two earned) in the sixth. They added back-to-back home runs off Alex Lange in the ninth. After chasing Pérez out of the game in the fifth, the Royals were held hitless by five Marlins relievers.

So the only thing missing from Jensen’s MLB “birthday,” as he called it pregame, was a win.

“It’s been a lot of highs, a lot of lows,” Jensen said. “Obviously, there are some things I wish I would have done differently, but at the same time, I kind of take them as all life lessons and learning experiences when it comes to the lows. And then the highs, just enjoying them. Not letting a day go by where I take anything for granted.”

There has been so much thrown at Jensen over the past year. Following a stellar September last year, Jensen in 2026 has taken over the leadoff spot in the lineup, taken over everyday catching duties from Perez and experienced all of the challenges that have come with both. He has not been perfect, but he’s made adjustments when needed.

The offensive result: A .226/.313/.426 slash line, 21 home runs, 26 doubles and 64 RBIs. And the defensive result has been a catcher who has evolved over the season. He still has a ways to go – a passed ball led to a run in the sixth Wednesday, for example – but the Royals trust Jensen behind the plate.

“I think that’s the hardest thing when you get to the big leagues. You’re walking in as a young guy,” Jensen said. “You’ve got guys with years of experience. But gaining their trust I think is the hardest thing. I think, honestly, that’s what I’m most proud of.”

What the Royals have learned from watching Jensen and Caglianone develop this season is that they have two valuable hitters who will be relied upon in the lineup every day.

With Jensen surpassing the 20-homer mark, he and Caglianone (23 homers) became the fifth set (sixth instance) of left-handed batters to do so within a single season in Royals history and the first since the trio of Eric Hosmer (25), Brandon Moss (22) and Mike Moustakas (38) in 2017.

“Coming out of Spring Training, I don’t know if any of us could have said, ‘This is what Cags will do. This is what Carter will do,’” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The only thing we knew is that we were going to give them the opportunity to do it.”