A couple of weeks ago, I covered some of the main spring training position battles we should pay attention to this coming spring. Pitchers and Catchers report to Spring Training this, so what better time to make some predictions for the 26-man roster? The influx of new talent from free agency has made it a lot more fun to see how this 26-man roster may take shape. The Royals have brought in a bunch of arms both for the rotation and bullpen to give some the depth they did not have last year.
They also got three position players, Hunter Renfroe, Adam Frazier, and Garrett Hampson, to hopefully give them more productive guys at the major league level who can play various roles. Renfroe will hopefully serve as the everyday right fielder, providing them with a guy who can hopefully produce a bit more at the plate and serve as a much better defender than Edward Olivares did.
Frazier and Hampson should provide the Royals with a safety net in case any younger guys struggle to get their feet off the ground. Both can play all over the infield and the outfield, so they can serve as two utility guys who can step in if anyone is having trouble producing. So, with all these newcomers and some young talent pushing for a spot, what might the Royals final 26-man roster look like? I’ll break it down by rotation, starting lineup, bullpen, and bench.
STARTING ROTATION (5)
Michael Wacha – RHP
Cole Ragans – LHP
Seth Lugo – RHP
Brady Singer – RHP
Jordan Lyles – RHP
With the Royals making their biggest splashes this offseason by signing Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo to solidify their rotation, the starting five are a lock. The only spot up for grabs is the last in the rotation, which I expect will be Jordan Lyles, regardless of his struggles. Like most Royals fans, I would love to see Daniel Lynch IV getting the final rotation sport, but for reasons I stated in an article earlier, the Royals are likely to give it to Jordan Lyles.
It sounds like the Royals tried to trade Lyles this offseason but couldn’t find any takers, which isn’t shocking. Their best bet is to let him get a shot in the rotation and hope he can retain some value so they can move him at the deadline. I still think there is a shot that Lynch IV comes out this spring on fire and takes that spot from Lyles, which I know most of us are hoping for. He has been on the injury recovery road this offseason and looked good in the Dominican Winter League, which gives you some hope.
This rotation will be much more than last year’s, regardless of whether Lyles is in it. With the acquisition of Ragans and the signing of Lugo and Wacha, you bumped the guys at the top of your rotation to the bottom. There is so much more length here, and it will be great to see most of these guys throw every fifth day in 2024.
STARTING LINEUP (9)
C – Salvador Perez
1B – Vinnie Pasquantino
2B – Michael Massey
3B – Maikel Garcia
SS- Bobby Witt, Jr.
LF – MJ Melendez
CF – Kyle Isbel
RF – Hunter Renfroe
DH – Nelson Velazquez
There are not many exciting predictions here for the starting lineup in 2024. The only real new addition is Hunter Renfroe in right field. Preston will be sad I left Tyler Gentry out of the starting lineup, but I imagine he starts the year in Omaha and will be up soon after the season starts.
Most of the positions seem to be locked this year, even with the signing of Adam Frazier. Many thought that Massey might be traded or was losing his starting gig, but General Manager J.J. Picollo gave his confidence in Massey and discussed how they let Frazier know that the starting gig at second was Massey’s to start.
The only other surprise we might see is if Drew Waters has an extremely hot spring. He could come clawing for Isbel’s starting centerfield gig. He’s always had the tools to become something special, but his swing-and-miss issues have kept him from meeting those expectations. Isbel has proven he can handle centerfield at The K, and the underlying data gives you some hope his bat can turn it around.
Designated Hitter is the last spot where we could see a change from this prediction. I imagine Nelson Velazquez is the lead, but with guys like Nick Pratto, who could show up out of nowhere, or Freddy Fermin, known to have a hot bat, Velazquez could have some pressure to perform. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez could see some time at DH if Pratto shows he deserves a starting gig and has improved with the hit tool or if Fermin is scorching hot like last year.
BENCH (4)
C – Freddy Fermin
UTIL – Adam Frazier
UTIL – Garrett Hampson
OF – Dairon Blanco
Again, these are somewhat boring choices for me. I wanted to put Tyler Gentry here so badly, but I have a hard time believing the Royals will want to carry him in the major leagues if he will not get consistent at-bats. Although, with some of the question marks in the outfield, Gentry could see more at-bats if he is to make the roster.
Frazier and Hampson signed major league deals and are set to fill the utility role for the Royals in 2024. I thought Blanco could be an odd man out with the ability for Frazier and Hampson to play the outfield, but Manager Matt Quatraro seemed to love the speed Blanco brought on the basepaths and in the outfield. Blanco seems like too much of an underrated asset to be left off the roster.
We all know Freddy Fermin’s story. He was one of the highlights from the 2023 season, and man, it was just cool to watch him take off like he did. If that bat continues to play like it did last year, he could see plenty of more at-bats. I don’t see any of the other catching options the Royals have really pushing him for that back up spot.
BULLPEN (8)
Will Smith – LHP
James McArthur – RHP
Nick Anderson – RHP
Chris Stratton – RHP
Carlos Hernandez – RHP
Matt Sauer – RHP
John McMillon or Daniel Lynch IV – LHP
Tyler Duffey – RHP
The Royals got Smith, Anderson, Stratton, and Sauer this offseason to solidify the bullpen. It doesn’t leave many open spots besides one if you count Lynch IV moving to the bullpen for the Royals.
I gave that spot to Tyler Duffey. Out of the non-roster invitees, he has the most major league experience, even though he spent most of 2023 in AAA with the Chicago Cubs. He’s pitched well out of the bullpen late in games and has a proven track record. He’s not far removed from being good in a bullpen, as he posted a 3.18 ERA in 2021. Duffey also has a connection with Assistant Pitching Coach Zach Bove, who was also with the Minnesota Twins.
I chose Duffey over Steven Cruz since Cruz has three options left and has struggled a lot with throwing strikes. The “Raid the Zone” mentality the Royals have been preaching makes you think they will let Cruz go to Triple-A to see if he can gain additional control of his pitches, especially at 24.
I made it a toss-up between Daniel Lynch IV and John McMillon. Both have options left. The Royals could send Lynch IV to Omaha so he can start instead of being in a bullpen role. McMillon might be the Royals’ best reliever in the long term. He did end last year with an injury, and they could ease him back. If McMillon does start in Omaha, I imagine he won’t be there very long.
Omaha should have a pretty fun bullpen with Will Klein, Dan Altavilla, Steven Cruz, Christian Chamberlain, Luis Cessa, and Walter Pennington. On top of that, starters Alec Marsh, Angel Zerpa, Jonathan Bowlan, and Anthony Veneziano can all fill out bullpen roles at the major league level if needed.
