PEORIA, Ariz – We’re two weeks away from the Royals opening the 2026 season in Atlanta on March 27, but the top competitions in spring are far from being decided.
With several players gone at the World Baseball Classic, there have been ample at-bats and innings for players on the roster bubble as Opening Day approaches.
Based on observations and conversations in Arizona, here’s another prediction on what that roster could look like at the end of the month:
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 and will be coming fresh off an electric World Baseball Classic. If he needs a day off or DHs for a day, Perez or Jac Caglianone could back up here.
Second baseman (2): Jonathan India, Michael Massey
India figures to begin the season as the main second baseman, but Massey’s status is questionable. He strained his left calf and will be out of game action at least until next week. He and the Royals are still hopeful he won’t be missing too much time, but it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll be ready on March 27. If he’s not, playing time opens up for Nick Loftin, and a bench spot would open for someone like utilityman Tyler Tolbert or infielder Josh Rojas.
Shortstop (1): Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt will play almost every day at shortstop. If he does DH or gets a day off, Maikel Garcia can slide over from third.
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 (5): Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Jac Caglianone, Lane Thomas, Starling Marte
The Royals have a ton of outfielders in camp this spring and recently added one more in Marte, but he’ll likely get more DH at-bats than outfield playing time. The Royals are targeting Collins in left field and Isbel in center. Thomas will move around to all three spots depending on the day. The Royals wanted Caglianone to earn that right field spot this spring, and his performance before and during the WBC has pretty much done just that.
Others competing for an outfield spot include Drew Waters, who is out of Minor League options, along with Kameron Misner and John Rave.
Bench/Utility (1): Nick Loftin
If Massey is healthy enough to make the team, there’s just one spot really up for grabs here. Loftin has been a standout this spring, from his .308/.400/.654 slash line to getting a ton of defensive work all over the field, including a lot of first base in case he’s needed as a backup there. Plus, he’s a right-handed bat that could be useful against lefty starters or late in the game.
There are others still competing for the lone spot, though. Tyler Tolbert brings a speed component to the table. The Royals could go with a more experienced bat for pinch-hit opportunities, like Rojas or Abraham Toro. If Massey isn’t healthy, there’s another spot for any of those players.
Starting Pitchers (5): Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron
The fifth-starter competition is real because Ryan Bergert has continued to make a case for himself with almost every Cactus League start he’s made. Even so, it’ll be hard for the Royals not to have Cameron in that fifth spot to begin the year because of the track record in 2025. While Stephen Kolek is working his way back from an oblique strain, Bailey Falter is the other starter the Royals have to make a decision on, because he’s out of options. It could mean length out of the bullpen as piggyback starts.
The other wrinkle is Luinder Avila, who is pitching for Venezuela in the WBC right now but is a swingman the Royals could see in either the rotation or bullpen. It seems most likely that if Avila is starting, it’ll be in Triple-A as a depth option, but he has plenty of advocates in the organization to pitch out of the ‘pen.
There’s a lot the Royals have to work through, and the only thing that’s clear is that they have a lot of good depth with which to operate.
Relief Pitchers (8): Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Alex Lange, Nick Mears, Daniel Lynch IV, Luinder Avila
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. The rest is up for competition through the end of camp, and a lot will depend on how the rotation shakes out – mainly how the Royals plan to use Avila and Falter. As long as the Royals feel like they have enough depth in Triple-A, it would make a lot of sense to have Avila in the bullpen; from a stuff perspective, he’s got some of the best that can tick up in short stints like we saw last year.
The last two spots are hard to predict. One should be a lefty, and Lynch should fill that role if the Royals don’t have Falter on the roster. Lange gets the last spot, then, but it could just as easily go to Steven Cruz, who has been really good this spring. However, Cruz has an option remaining, so the Royals could preserve their depth by having Cruz in Triple-A to begin the season. Lange has swing and miss stuff, but will need to show better command for him to fully earn that spot.