Here's the Royals' player pool for their Spring Breakout game

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals’ farm system is filled with prospects in both the upper and lower levels of the Minor Leagues. There are different positions, backgrounds, ages and skill levels. But for one day, the top prospects are coming together to field a team that represents the Royals in the annual Spring Breakout game.

Teams released their initial 40-man player pools for Spring Breakout on Thursday. It will be trimmed down to a 23-27 player roster closer to the actual game.

Here’s what you need to know:

What is Spring Breakout?

In 2026, MLB Spring Breakout will again be a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future -- the current stars of Minor League Baseball – in 16 exhibition games played between teams composed of each MLB organization’s top prospects. The third edition will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.

In 2027, Spring Breakout will be expanded into a single-elimination tournament format, with champions being crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.

When is the Royals’ game?

Royals prospects will play the Rangers prospects at 3 p.m. CT on March 20 at Surprise Stadium. Because the two clubs share the stadium, the Royals will be the visiting team and the Rangers will be home.

How can I tune in?

MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App, Rangers Sportsnet, Amazon, Gameday

Notable position players

• C Carter Jensen (Royals' No. 1/MLB’s No. 18) -- Jensen is in big league camp and expected to play a major role this year in Kansas City, so it’s unclear if his schedule will line up with Spring Breakout. But he’s the club’s top prospect for a reason, with real power, a good awareness at the plate and defense that has only gotten better throughout his pro career.

• C Blake Mitchell (No. 2/MLB’s No. 75) -- Mitchell is hoping to put an injury-riddled 2025 season completely behind him this year, and a good spring is a good start to that. When healthy, he’s the best defensive catcher in the system, with a very strong arm and plus receiving skills. He also has big raw power and walks a ton.

• 2B/OF Sean Gamble (No. 5) and SS Josh Hammond (No. 6) -- This could be our first real look at the duo the Royals took Nos. 23 and 28, respectively, in the MLB Draft last year. Gamble and Hammond are both prep hitters who do things a little differently at the plate, but both are extremely athletic with exciting upside. While Hammond can also play third base, a middle infield that consists of Gamble at second and Hammond at shortstop would be pretty dynamic.

Notable pitchers

• RHP Kendry Chourio (No. 3) -- The most exciting pitcher in the farm system, Chourio ascended three levels in 2025, dominating both the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League before ending the year in Single-A Columbia. And he turned 18 years old after the season. Chourio has a three-pitch mix with exceptional command that makes him seem much older than he is.

• LHP David Shields (No. 4) -- Right behind Chourio is Shields, the top lefty in the system, who posted a 2.01 ERA across 18 starts in Single-A last year. He’s still looking for his velocity to pop, but he’s very athletic with projection still in his frame. He pairs the fastball with a slider and changeup.

• LHP Justin Lamkin (No. 15) and RHP Michael Lombardi (No. 16) -- Much like the two Draft hitters above, this could be our first chance at seeing the top two pitchers the Royals selected in the MLB Draft last year with Lombardi at No. 61 and Lamkin at No. 71. Both come from the college ranks, although Lamkin spent his career as a starter at Texas A&M and is advanced, while Lombardi was a two-way player at Tulane and did it all from playing center field to starting and relieving.

Roster details

To accommodate the player movement involved with the World Baseball Classic and to create greater flexibility for clubs and farm directors, Spring Breakout rosters are being constructed in two phases in 2026. Clubs initially submit a preliminary 40-man player pool on Thursday, March 5, which will then be pared down to the official 23-27 man rosters on March 18.

The preliminary 40-man player pools consist of the team’s Top 30 prospects, as determined by MLB Pipeline, minus any injured players, players on a Dominican Summer League roster or players on the 40-man roster who have elected not to participate. The pools also include 10 or more additional unranked prospects submitted by the club to replace the above ranked prospects who are not participating.

Preliminary 40-man player pool (Royals Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (20)
Felix Arronde, RHP, No. 14
Luinder Avila, RHP, No. 9
Drew Beam, RHP, No. 12
Kendry Chourio, RHP, No. 3
Dennis Colleran, RHP, No. 25
Josh Hansell, RHP, No. 28
Ben Kudrna, RHP, No. 10
Justin Lamkin, LHP, No. 15
L.P. Langevin, RHP, NR
Michael Lombardi, RHP, No. 16
Cameron Millar, RHP, No. 23
Frank Mozzicato, LHP, No. 29
Hunter Owen, LHP, NR
Shane Panzini, RHP, No. 21
Hunter Patteson, LHP, NR
Yeri Perez, RHP, NR
David Shields, LHP, No. 4
Blake Wolters, RHP, No. 24
Hiro Wyatt, RHP, NR
Steven Zobac, RHP, No. 13

CATCHERS (5)
Carter Jensen, C, No. 1/MLB No. 18
Moises Marchan, C, NR
Blake Mitchell, C, No. 2/MLB No. 75
Ramon Ramirez, C, No. 8
Hyungchan Um, C, NR

INFIELDERS (9)
Austin Charles, INF, NR
Jose Cerice, INF, NR
Darison Garcia, INF, NR
Josh Hammond, SS, No. 6
Sam Kulasingam, UTIL, NR
Ramcell Medina, SS, No. 19
Yandel Ricardo, SS, No. 11
Brett Squires, INF, NR
Daniel Vazquez, SS, No. 26

OUTFIELDERS (6)
Gavin Cross, OF, No. 27
Sean Gamble, OF/2B, No. 5
Asbel Gonzalez, OF, No. 17
Spencer Nivens, OF, NR
Carson Roccaforte, OF, No. 18
Nolan Sailors, OF, NR