Royals roster projection 2.0

We are just over a week of Spring Training Games. Players have departed for their national teams ahead of the World Baseball Classic that will be played over the next couple of weeks. And, it’s been almost two months since my first attempt at an Opening Day roster projection.

In other words, now is the perfect opportunity for unveil version 2.0.

Catcher
Carter Jensen
Salvador Perez

It seems like one of the under the radar storylines of the Royals camp is how they are going to chop the catching duties between the rookie and the veteran.

As noted in yesterday’s dispatch on the signing of Starling Marte, Salvador Perez has appeared in 313 games in the last two regular seasons. That’s…a lot. It’s a lot for any catcher, let alone a 36-year-old catcher with Perez’s body type and mileage behind the plate. Obviously, not all of those appearances are behind the dish, but the point is, Salvy does not take a lot of days off. Perez logged 92 games as the catcher, 30 at first base and another 38 games as the designated hitter.

Break it down by percentage of games started at catcher and we see that Perez took 55 percent of the starts in 2025. He was at 55.5 percent of starts at catcher in 2024. And guess what? Perez was at 55.5 percent of starts behind the plate in 2023.

I think Matt Quatraro and staff might have a good idea about how to manage Perez’s workload back there.

Infield
Maikel Garcia
Jonathan India
Michael Massey
Vinnie Pasquantino
Bobby Witt Jr.

It sure feels like this crew is set.

I’m keeping Massey in with this group because he looks like the guy on the roster who will get the most innings as a spare infielder and he looks like the guy with the best chance to potentially dislodge India from second base. Although we can't forget that Quatraro has talked up his abilities as a left fielder.

Outfield
Jac Caglianone
Isaac Collins
Kyle Isbel
Nick Loftin
Starling Marte
Lane Thomas

The outfield situation becomes a little more settled with the addition of Marte to the roster…even if I don’t expect to see him on the grass all that often. It gives the Royals that right-handed bat they were seeking. Marte will come off the bench and, when he starts, will spend most of his time as the designated hitter.

Collins and Caglianone get the most reps in the corners with Isbel and Thomas splitting time in center. Speaking of Caglianone, how’s he been doing since we last checked in?

Oh. Still mashing. Good to see.

At this point, I think the final spot on the bench goes to Nick Loftin. He has that positional versatility this team values. Last year, he saw time in left field, second, third and first. Really, the Royals need someone they can trust to backup on the left side of the infield. If Garcia gets hurt, Loftin can jump in. If, god forbid, Witt needs a sub, Garcia can slide over from third with Loftin taking over at the hot corner. When speaking to the media on Monday, manager Matt Quatraro mentioned Loftin as a guy who would be getting a few more reps on the left side of the infield now that Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. have left for the WBC.

In my previous iteration, I had Loftin and Tyler Tolbert in this mix. Tolbert can play on the dirt as well—and is more of a burner, which is something we know the Royals like to have coming off their bench. I suspect there will be a debate over these two.

The corresponding move to get Marte on the roster was the DFA of Dairon Blanco. After a couple of semi-productive years, Blanco couldn’t find a role with the big league club last season. He was sidelined after just three games with an achilles issue, and didn’t really perform once he returned in mid-May. The Royals sent him to Omaha where he spent the rest of the season.

In yesterday’s dispatch, I wrote that I thought Drew Waters could get the axe as he’s out of options and doesn’t really have a path to the 26-man roster. What was my first clue that I was wrong, you ask? I guess it was when the Royals posted their Monday lineup and Waters was hitting third. Alas.

Even so, I don’t expect Waters to make this roster.

The rotation
Cole Ragans
Seth Lugo
Michael Wacha
Kris Bubic
Noah Cameron

This feels boring, yet encouraging. Ragans came out throwing bullets and wicked sliders in his spring debut. He recorded 11 swings and misses in his two innings of work. Eight of them came on his four-seamer that averaged 97 mph. I know this is a roster projection, but still…I have to share this:

That looks regular season ready if you ask me.

The next three guys are locks. I’ll keep Noah Cameron here for now, but cannot shake the feeling that his grip on this spot is rather tenuous. Good thing they have depth, right?

The bullpen
Lucas Erceg
Carlos Estévez
Bailey Falter
Alex Lange
Daniel Lynch IV
Nick Mears
John Schreiber
Matt Strahm

As I pulled this together, I was struck by the general lack of competition for spots in the bullpen. We know the late inning leverage guys will be some shape of Strahm, Erceg and Estévez. Schreiber is usually in Quatraro’s bullpen circle of trust.

Falter is out of options but, from what I can tell, hasn’t looked especially sharp in his two outings. If he’s not traded (which is a possiblity as we get closer to Opening Day), I think he makes the team. The Royals aren’t going to toss him into the discard pile. The other lefty in the bullpen will be Lynch. Honestly, I don’t feel great about either of them being in Kansas City on Opening Day, but Quatraro loves to play his matchups and having three lefties in the bullpen is something he’s going to want. Of the two, Lynch's spot here feels the most unsettled. But I'm keeping him in the mix for now.

Mears is another guy out of options. Lange has an option, but has had a solid spring to this point. He’s allowed just one hit in his 2.2 innings and is generating a 30 percent chase rate while dodging hard contact. I think the Royals will want some of his experience—and ability to miss bats—to open the year in Kansas City.

Man, the Omaha bullpen is going to be crowded. Steven Cruz (who made my first projection) and James McArthur are on the 40-man and will all see time in Kansas City at some point this summer. Non-roster invitees Eli Morgan, Héctor Neris, Helcris Olivárez can push their way into the mix if they stick with the organization. Then there are starters such as Luinder Avila, Steven Zobec and Mason Black who could also pitch out of relief.

We discuss this all the time, but the pitching depth in this organization is bonkers.