Taking a first crack at Royals' potential Opening Day roster

KANSAS CITY – For many players, Spring Training is all about building up workloads and getting 100% ready for Opening Day and the grind of 162-plus games ahead of them.

For others, it’s about all of that and competing for a spot on the roster, or leaving a good impression in front of coaches for later on in the season.

While the core of the Royals’ roster is fairly set, there will be some competitions on the margins. And there’s a lot of different ways they could go. Here’s our first crack at a 26-man roster prediction. We’ll update this a few times throughout camp as we learn and observe more:

Catcher (2): Salvador Perez, Carter Jensen
Perez will embark on his 15th Major League season, while Jensen will begin his first full Major League season. If Jensen is hitting, expect him to get playing time at DH and behind the plate, with Perez making the majority of starts at catcher at least to start the year.

First baseman (1): Vinnie Pasquantino
Following his 32-homer, 113-RBI season, Pasquantino is back for more in the middle of the Royals’ lineup. If he needs a day off or DHs for a day, Perez, Jac Caglianone or Nick Loftin can back up here.

Second baseman (2): Jonathan India, Michael Massey
India figures to begin the season as the main second baseman, while Massey can play second base when India is DH or out of the lineup. Massey will also get some reps in left field. He has a lot to prove following an injury-riddled 2025 season, so he’s competing for a job this spring.

Shortstop (1): Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt will play almost every day at shortstop. If he does DH or get a day off, Garcia can slide over from third, or Tyler Tolbert can play short.

Third baseman (1): Maikel Garcia
Fresh off a five-year extension and a breakout 2025 season, Garcia is the Royals’ everyday third baseman and, together with Witt, helps the Royals boast the best left side of the infield in baseball.

Outfielders (4): Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Jac Caglianone, Lane Thomas
The Royals will have a ton of outfielders in camp this spring, but it’s pretty clear that Collins will play left and Isbel will play center. Thomas will be on the team, it’ll just depend on the day as to where he’s playing. Caglianone is competing for the job in right field, but likely has the leg up given that he needs to get reps at the Major League level. Other competitors include Kameron Misner, Drew Waters, Dairon Blanco and John Rave.

Bench/Utility (2): Nick Loftin, Tyler Tolbert
Tolbert showed his value last year with pinch-running opportunities, while also being versatile as an up-the-middle defender. There’s room for Loftin to get at-bats at second, third and in left field if needed. The Royals might want a more experienced bat to take pinch-hit at-bats, and that could include a non-roster invitee like Josh Rojas or Abraham Toro if they have strong springs.

Starting Pitchers (5): Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron
This should be the Royals’ starting five barring any injuries. We’ll have to see how Ragans and Bubic progress through spring after they both missed so much time last season. But it’s expected they’ll be healthy and ready to go. Lugo and Wacha are the vets, while Cameron should have a leg up on others competing because of his standout 2025 season.

Others who are building up as starters this spring include Stephen Kolek, Ryan Bergert, Bailey Falter and Luinder Avila. All could step right into the rotation if needed.

Relief Pitchers (8): Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Alex Lange, Nick Mears, Daniel Lynch IV, Steven Cruz
The bullpen is fairly fixed at the back-end with Estévez, Erceg and Strahm. Schreiber and Mears figure to take those mid-leverage spots in middle relief, while Lange could also fit in there if he shows the kind of stuff he had with the Tigers a couple of years ago before injuries. But there are spots still open for competition.

We went with Lynch here as another lefty in the ‘pen, but Falter, another lefty, is out of options – if the Royals don’t need him as a starter, he could slot into the bullpen.

We also gave Cruz the nod here after he flashed some really good stuff last year. He’s got options left, though. Others competing include non-roster invitees Jose Cuas, Hector Neris and Helcris Olivárez, and the Royals could also slot a starter in the bullpen like Falter. Avila, in particular, showed bullpen potential in a small sample size last year. That could be where he fits best again in ‘26.