Big news out of the Royals camp today as Anne Rogers reported that Manager Matt Quatraro told reporters that versatile defender Nick Loftin, outfielder Dairon Blanco, and reliever Matt Sauer have all made the team. Michael Massey was also reported to start the season on the injured list. This unofficially solidifies the 26-man roster, which will likely look like this:
Rotation (5) – Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Brady Singer, and Alec Marsh
Bullpen (8) – Jordan Lyles, Angel Zerpa, Matt Sauer, Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson, John Schriber, Will Smith, and James McArthur
Catchers (2) – Salvador Perez, Freddy Fermin
Infielders (4) – Vinnie Pasquantino, Bobby Witt, Jr., Maikel Garcia, Adam Frazier
Outfielders (5) – MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel, Hunter Renfroe, Nelson Velazquez, Dairon Blanco
Utility (2) – Garrett Hampson, Nick Loftin
The final roster is still unofficial, but this is the most likely scenario for the 26-man roster. A few surprises to start the season, and that starts in the rotation. Alec Marsh outright won the fifth spot in the rotation with an incredible spring where he 17.2 innings while giving up seven earned with 20 strikeouts for a 3.57 ERA. He beat out Daniel Lynch IV and Jordan Lyles, who seemed like heavy favorites to start the year. Lyles will make his way to the bullpen. Lynch IV will start in Omaha as he continues to recover from his injury and will see if he can get some of the velocity back that he’s been missing this spring.
The bullpen’s biggest surprises are Jordan Lyles and Angel Zerpa. Lyles was added mainly because most expected him to get the fifth rotation spot no matter what, given his guaranteed contract. Zerpa didn’t have the greatest spring, but the Royals needed another lefty in the bullpen, and Zerpa gives them that option. Manager Matt Quatraro praised Zerpa’s versatility, as he is willing to pitch whenever and in any situation. There were some thoughts that Sam Long, a non-roster invitee, could push for that spot with the dominant spring he had, but Zerpa came out on top. It’ll be interesting to see if Long and the other non-roster invitees accept the minor league assignment to Omaha.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Michael Massey injury opened room for both Blanco and Loftin to make the team. Nick Pratto made a ton of noise this spring, having by far the best performance on the plate out of all the hitters. The Royals optioned him to Triple-A and likely want to see if he can continue that in Omaha before rushing him back up to the big leagues. Pratto’s adjustments to be more aggressive at the plate and ability to take mistake pitches and drive them paid off for him. Loftin provides the Royals some additional versatility on top of Hampson and Frazier. He will likely serve in more of a utility role with Adam Frazier getting most of the starts in Massey’s absence. Loftin has been a top prospect for the Royals and is basically a sum-of-all-parts type player. He does everything right on both sides of the ball, even though he doesn’t have a loud tool in his toolbox. Dairon Blanco provides the Royals a ton of speed off the bench, and he seemed to be a favorite of Manager Matt Quatraro’s at the end of last year. Blanco just makes things happen and wreaks havoc on the base paths. He gives the Royals another weapon off the bench.
Overall, seeing the final roster start to take shape is exciting. We will see changes as the year goes on, but these are the 26 the Royals will roll with to begin the season. This team has a ton more depth than they did in 2023, and the Royals’ moves to sign that depth is already paying off, with Massey starting the year on the injured reserve list. The Omaha team should be stacked as well, and there should be plenty of options for the Royals if guys struggle or get hurt. The squad is ready to roll, and Thursday can’t come soon enough!