Projecting the Royals Opening Day Roster
here are the 26 players you will see on March 27th.
We are only 4 weeks away from Opening Day, so let’s take a shot at projecting the 26 man roster the Royals will field against the Braves in Atlanta. Actually, we are 4 weeks and 1 day away from the first Royals game of 2026, as the Braves announced their home opener was being moved from Thursday, March 26th to Friday, March 27th.
Guess who has a previous commitment on the night of the 27th? That’s right…this guy. So even though I’ll have to watch the game after the fact, I know most of you will be tuned in at 6:15 CDT to watch these 26 players take the field for your Kansas City Royals…
CATCHERS
Salvador Perez
Carter Jensen
Not much intrigue here, the only real question is what the division of labor will be. More on that in the upcoming Pre-Season Manifesto.
INFIELD
Vinnie Pasquantino 1B
Jonathan India 2B
Bobby Witt Jr SS
Maikel Garcia 3B
This is etched in stone barring injury.
OUTFIELD
Isaac Collins - LF
Kyle Isbel - CF
Jac Caglianone - RF
BENCH - Nick Loftin, Lane Thomas, Tyler Tolbert, Michael Massey
I actually expect Thomas to get the start in CF on Opening Day as the Braves should be starting tough lefthander Chris Sale.
So there’s the 13 hitters I expect the Royals to break camp with. Injuries of course could change things, but I don’t expect guys like John Rave or Drew Waters to be able to make the club. I’m not a fan of using a roster spot on a pinch runner like Tolbert, but Matt Quatraro is and his opinion matters more than mine. I suppose Dairon Blanco could get that job over Tolbert as well.
STARTING PITCHERS
Cole Ragans
Seth Lugo
Kris Bubic
Michael Wacha
Noah Cameron
Not much drama here either, barring injury. I’ve heard others say that Cameron’s role as the 5th starter could be up for grabs, but he was so good last year that he would have to really regress during camp to lose the job.
Next guys up if (actually when) a starter goes down to injury would be Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, and them maybe Bailey Falter or Luinda Avila. It was announced this morning that Kolek is dealing with a left oblique strain and will be shut down for a week or so.
Oblique injuries can be tricky and this situation bears watching. It’s also a good reminder how fragile and ephemeral “starting pitching depth” really is.
BULLPEN
The Royals bullpen cup overfloweth. There are a lot of guys who will likely see usage in the KC pen this year, fortunately none of them are named Chris Stratton or Sam Long.
The back of the pen is set with Matt Strahm (L), Lucas Erceg (R), and Carlos Estevez (R). There have been some concerns about Estevez’s velocity this spring being WAY down, but I think it’s just a veteran pitcher easing into the year. He’s going to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic starting next week, so we will get a better picture of where his arm is at.
If Estevez’s fastball is still 89-90 mph during the WBC, then we have problems.
The pen should round out with Daniel Lynch IV (L), John Schreiber (R), Nick Mears (R), Steven Cruz (R), and Luinder Avila (R).
I think Lynch and Schreiber are guys the Royals could move on from sometime in 2026, but they both break camp with the team. Some commenters think Avila’s future is as a starter and it may well be, but not in 2026.
It’s obviously a right handed heavy pen, with Strahm and Lynch the only lefties projected to make the roster. Bailey Falter is the only other lefty available. He’s not good, but he has starter experience and could draw interest from another team.
So those are the 13 hitters and 13 pitchers I expect to the Royals to break camp with in 2026. We’ll find out how close I came when the Pre-Season Manifesto drops on March 27th.
Next up on DC will be a look at the first week of Cactus League play. Who’s showing out early, and who better get it turned around quickly!