There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the Kansas City Royals outfield these last few weeks.
The Royals have called up numerous guys from Omaha to try and fill the void over the last year and a half. MJ Melendez, Dairon Blanco, and Drew Waters just this year to name a few and the negativity around the outfielders still hasn’t stopped. The Royals are going to need a permanent answer soon.
One name the Royals have yet to check out is their 9th best prospect in the system, according to MLB Pipeline, Right Fielder Tyler Gentry.
Gentry, now in his second year in Omaha, has been taking it daily in Nebraska. After getting to understand the system in Papillion, he’s been taking on a more leadership role with the Storm Chasers in 2024.
“I’ve been comfortable here,” Gentry said, “Comfortable with the guys in the locker room, the stadium, in Triple-A. It’s a great place to be and we have a great group of guys in the locker room. We just mesh well together.”
2023 was the only time that Gentry was invited to spend spring training with the Royals. In that year, he batted .188 with a homer and two RBIs in 17 games. Despite not being able to make it to spring training this past offseason, Gentry has gotten a lot of positive praise from coaches in Kansas City.
“They’ve liked the work that I’ve put in,” said Gentry, “I’m just trying to learn everything I can from them. It’s good to get that big-league experience from the guys that have been there or are doing it now. That’s the main goal when I’m down there with them: just learn as much as I can.”
It was a tough start to the season for Gentry in year two with the Omaha Storm Chasers. In the first two months of the season, he only recorded 27 combined hits and was batting below .200. He tore up the month of June for Omaha, recording 21 hits, three home runs, and nine RBIs. His batting average for June was .256. Gentry told me that he made a small change to his swing that has led to his success.
“It’s frustrating because it happened last year as well,” he said, “I didn’t get it going until July, this year it’s June. Once I figured out my swing, I’ve been getting better. Once the bat gets clicking, it’s usually good to go.”
Looking at the other side of the field, the Chasers strength is their defense. Omaha’s outfield is no joke with Gentry, John Rave, and Drew Waters out on the grass. Nate Eaton has also taken some spots in the outfield rotation. Gentry told me about their confidence as a unit in being able to consistently make plays.
“All of us move well and we’re smart players. When you have three guys out there, four if one’s in the rotation, we’re comfortable with each other and things go well.”
Maybe the Royals could use Tyler Gentry in Kansas City to help their outfield issues but until that happens, Gentry is just going to work on getting better until he gets called to Kauffman.
“That’s all I can worry about. I’ve got to keep getting better every day that I’m here. That’s my main focus.”
With another 60-65 games left in the regular season, one coming up tonight against the Iowa Cubs (CHC), and a playoff spot already secured, the Omaha Right Fielder told me that the team is satisfied with the spot, but knows that there’s still work to be done.
“What we were doing the first half, everything was clicking,” Gentry said, “We’ve gotta keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ve been on a roll for the last couple of months. Our mentality from here on out is to keep our nose on the grind.”
Omaha continues with their six-game series with Iowa tonight at Werner Park before heading to Des Moines for three against the I-Cubs on the 4th of July. The first pitch is set for 7:05 pm.
