GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- In their fifth Cactus League game, the Royals finally debuted one of their key additions of the offseason by slotting Isaac Collins in left field and at the leadoff spot on Tuesday.
Despite going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Kansas City's 5-4 loss to the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark, simply getting Collins into a game and seeing how he moves around on the field brought a little bit of normalcy back into his schedule.
“First game of the spring, so expectations aren’t super high -- I didn’t really have many, to be honest,” Collins said. “I was just glad to get back in there and get the adrenaline going again.”
Kansas City intentionally delayed Collins’ initial build-up to games because he had platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his knees to address patella tendinitis, something he started dealing with at the end of last year. The Royals knew about it when they acquired him over the offseason, and given the length of Spring Training and that Collins would get ample at-bats anyway throughout the end of February and in March, they didn’t think there was any reason to rush him into it when the spring schedule started this past weekend.
“I feel pretty good,” Collins said. “I held up well. So I’m just ready to keep building off that.”
Collins will play again on Friday against the A's at Surprise Stadium and then be on a normal game schedule after that, likely playing every other day and increasing the workloads until back-to-back days are introduced into hitters’ schedules late in the spring.
Even without game action, Collins had already stood out on the backfields with the way he goes about his work and how he could fit into this lineup. The Royals acquired him in December from the Brewers -- along with reliever Nick Mears -- to add an on-base skillset into their offense. In 2025 with Milwaukee, Collins posted a slash line of .263/.368/.411 and a 118 OPS+ across 441 plate appearances (130 games). He got a chance in the Brewers' lineup when there were some injuries last year, and he turned into a key contributor for one of the best teams in baseball while also finishing fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He makes contact. He doesn’t chase and he doesn’t whiff. He fits what the Royals are trying to do with their offense -- get guys on base and let the stars in the middle of the lineup drive them home.
“He gets after it,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’re trying to monitor what he’s doing, but all things have been good. He sees the ball well -- you can tell that in BP and lives. He gets after it shagging in the outfield. He’s an intense guy.”
Adding to Collins’ skillset is his defensive versatility. He’ll play mostly left field for the Royals as the roster stands now, but he can move to second base if needed and might get a few reps in right field this spring. He hit leadoff on Tuesday and fits that general mold of a leadoff hitter, but Kansas City could also have him hit lower in the lineup to extend its depth and maximize the chances for someone to be on base when the lineup turns over.
He’s also a switch-hitter, something the Royals haven’t had consistently at their disposal for a few years. That opens possibilities for Quatraro.
“It makes it harder for opposing teams to match up with us and understand what we’re going to do, especially if he’s equally effective from both sides of the plate,” Quatraro said. “And depending on where we slot him in the batting order, it’ll make bullpen decisions for other teams more challenging.”
There’s a lot that has changed for Collins since last spring, and it’s not just his team. He established himself as a solid MLB player last year, enough to where the Royals sought him in a trade. He’s not truly competing for a job this spring like he was last year in Milwaukee; he knows he’ll be relied upon with his new team from Day 1.
That doesn’t mean his mindset has changed at all.
“Rent’s due every day,” Collins said. “I have something to prove every single day. This is an extremely hard league, and success is rented. You don’t get it every day. You’ve got to earn it. Every hit, every walk, every play is earned.”